Charm Everlasting
by HeartandSoul123
Summary: Four years have past since Nami was saved by an orange-haired boy from certain danger. They wind up meeting each other again and Luffy doesn't approve. Will Luffy finally find love? Will Nami? Rated T for language. Disclaimer: I do NOT own One Piece.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

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'_RUN!' _

The three letter word rang through her head like church bells on a Sunday morning. Three angry men pursued after her with swords as sharp as the wind. They swung at her with brute ferocity, though she was a good pace ahead of them.

"Get that bitch!" one screamed, swinging his sword above his head.

"She's got me treasure!" yelled another one, blade glistening in the morning sun.

The girl wasn't about to slow down to their words. She knew she was much faster than them. But she was also aware of her tired feet that carried the rest of her aching body. Time was surely running out and so was her energy.

'_I need to find somewhere to hide!' _

The girl quickly turned into a narrow alley. The three men roared after her, but she was able to elude them in time to reach a safe corner.

"Where she go, Pete?" cried the skinny pirate, sheathing his sword. Pete scanned the area with squinting eyes, but to no avail.

"I dunno! She must've gone hiding! You guys go ahead, I'm gonna check this here alley!"

'_Shit!'_

The girl was now trapped. Or for a second she thought. She didn't notice the door right next to her until now. Hastily, she tapped the door with a shaky fist. Footsteps moved closer.

"You here little girl, little girl? Don't be so shy. I'm only gonna take back me treasure is all…and maybe slice open that pretty neck of yours!"

'_Please open up! Somebody please help me!' _

The girl's taps became harsh pounds as the footsteps neared even closer. With the other hand, she held on tight to the sack of treasure she acquired from the pursuing pirates. Sweat covered her entire body.

"Ah, so you are hiding over here you runt! Just wait till I acquaint you with this here blade of mine!"

'_It's over. It's really all over. I'm no match for him! But I'm not gonna give him this treasure! Never!' _

The girl inhaled deeply. She was ready to give it her all. She wasn't about to let him take away her stolen treasure. However, before she could take action into her own hands, the door she knocked on opened. Out came a young teenage boy with bright blue eyes and the same color hair as the girl in front of him. With a raised eyebrow, he listened carefully to the angry words of pirate Pete.

"Closely, closely here I come! Giant Pete and his sword of blood!"

She closed her eyes. Pete was just three steps from the corner. Just then, a hand quickly grabbed the girl's arm and with the other, clasped her mouth. The girl screamed through the hand as she flailed at him with all of her strength. However, the sack she still grasped was hampering her movement. The boy tugged her inside and slammed the door shut, right when Pete turned the corner.

"Gah! What the hell are you doing!" she screamed at the boy, her entire body shaking with the adrenaline of fear.

"Saving you!" he retaliated. A pounding on the door silenced them both.

"Open up, ye bastards! Open up, or I will crush this door to pieces!"

The boy quickly pushed her to a dark corner of the room, though the entire house was pretty much dark for the most part.

"Stay hidden and be quiet," he instructed. "I got this."

The girl slowly nodded, still clutching her treasure close to her chest.

The boy walked over to the door and opened it.

"How can I help you good sir?" he asked with a hand behind his back. There was something bulky tucked in his pants. It almost looked like a gun.

Pete was huffing madly, sweat of his own pouring down his massive face. He bore his rotten teeth at the boy. His stench was so great that it reached the nose of the young girl. She tried with all her might not to cough or gag.

"You haven't happened to see a girl with orange hair around here, have ya? Looks a mighty bit like your hair," he snarled, his body odor now reaching a new wave of sour. The girl pinched her nose shut, but she found it hard to breathe. Even the boy was struggling to keep a straight face with the foul smell.

"N-No I h-haven't," he squeaked. His body was shaking. The smell was insanely distracting. Pete obviously didn't understand the concept of taking a shower at least once a day.

"No, huh?" Pete grunted. "You couldn't have missed her. She was carrying a sack full of treasure. She was pretty cute looking too. Looked about your age. Hard to miss such a thing."

The boy shook his head one last time, taking a step back. The girl was very close to passing out.

"I'm very sorry, but I have not see—"

"ACHOO!"

The wind outside was now more audible with the entire room now deadly silent. The boy's jaw dropped to the ground. Pete's mouth twisted into a large grin. He now could see the girl cowering in the corner of the room.

"I-I'm so sorry," she whispered. "It smells so bad."

"YOU BITCH!" roared Pete, pushing the boy away and charging at her with his sword above his head. The girl let out a scream, shielding herself with the sack of treasure.

'_This can't be it! No, please!' _

BAM!

The girl's quivering eased a bit as she slowly opened her eyes. In front of her stood Pete, who was now moaning loudly. His face was grimaced in pain. After taking a few steps forward, he came crumbling to the ground. The girl let out a scream.

"It's okay, it's okay!" assured the teenage boy, rushing to her side. She looked at him with fearful eyes, the grip on the treasure loosening somewhat. The boy dropped the gun he held in his hand and held her own hand with his. She looked into his eyes.

"Sorry for scaring you like that. I didn't want to shoot him…but he left me no choice. I'm so sorry." His gaze left hers as he solemnly looked at the dead man on the ground.

'_He saved my life.'_

The girl took one last look at her hero as she found herself falling into darkness.

"Hey! Are you okay!?"

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"Mmmmmmm."

"Hey, hey, don't force yourself so quickly."

Her eyes shot open. The girl was lying on a bed, bundled up in a warm blanket. A fire was kindling softly and she could hear the patter of firewood crackling. The breeze outside simmered down. She felt incredibly tired for some reason, like she hadn't gotten rest in years.

Next to her, sat the young man who saved her before she passed out. He forced a smile at her.

"Sorry, did I wake you up? The noise from the fireplace must be irritating."

She rubbed her eyes gently while shaking her head.

"No, no. It's time for me to get up." She looked at him and smiled, remembering something important.

"Thank you."

The boy sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "It's no problem ma'am. Er, what did you say your name was?"

The girl stretched her arms in the air, moaning lightly. The boy couldn't help but blush at her grace. The simple act of the girl stretching seemed so elegant for some reason.

"My name is Nami," she finally said, looking at him in the eyes. He bashfully looked away.

"What a nice name," he quickly returned. Nami giggled at his innocence.

"What's your name?" she asked. The boy looked back at her and straightened his posture. He cleared his throat with a little exaggerated gusto.

"My name is Naku."

"Naku, huh?" she repeated out loud. "That's an interesting name."

Naku cocked his head. Was his name really interesting?

Nami noticed he was feeling somewhat awkward and decided to change the subject.

"What happened to that smelly pirate? Is he dead?"

Naku looked at Nami and then at the ground. He frowned.

"Yeah…he's dead. I killed him."

A silence crept around the room. Nami didn't mean to make him feel so bad. But murder was nothing new to her. She felt a sudden rage build within her.

"Don't feel so bad, Naku. Pirate scum deserve nothing but death. They are all nothing but filthy bastards!" Nami clenched her teeth, her hands tightly closed into balled fists. Naku could feel her anger grip the surrounding walls. Should he tell her?

"Nami," he said, trying to be soothing as possible. Nami glanced over at him. His eyes were focused at the floor. "What if I told you, my dream is to become a pirate?"

Nami blinked at him for a few seconds, letting the question sink in. She sighed.

"You have to do what you want to do, I guess. I hate pirates so much. They took the life of someone very dear to me," she whispered. Naku noticed her eyes began to tear up.

She hastily wiped them away and then looked at him, smiling. "But you did save me from a pirate. I won't hold anything against you, I promise. Follow your dream, Naku."

He felt a grin creep up on his face. "I will! And what's your dream, Nami?"

She felt her eyes go to the sheets. Naku waited patiently, watching her hazel eyes dance in an orange glow from the flames.

"My goal…my goal…is to collect a hundred million berries!"

The flames dashed in the fireplace. Naku could only blink in wonder.

"A…a hundred?!" he gasped, letting the realization sink in. He mentally noticed that she said goal and not 'dream'.

Nami nodded while grinning. "Yup! That's my goal! I won't stop at nothing! Those pirates tried to take away my treasure. Well…I kind of stole it…but it's mine! Oh wait!"

Nami jumped from the bed and screamed. She felt her balance disappear.

"Nami!"

The girl fell into Naku's arms. After an awkward moment, Naku helped her to her feet.

"You have to be careful! You're body isn't ready to be up and about."

Nami ignored him and continued to scan the room.

"Where…where's my treasure!?" she gasped.

Naku put his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay! Your treasure is in the other room, safe and sound, I promise! No one will take it, I swear!"

Nami's breathing settled back to normal. She let out another sigh, falling back into the bed.

"Thank goodness," she murmured. She looked back at Naku. "Thank you."

"No problem," he said, going over to the fireplace. "Get some rest, Nami," he whispered, putting the fire out with some heavy dirt. He gave Nami a wink and a thumbs up. Nami nodded, smiling.

Naku walked towards the door and remembered one more thing. "Before I forget, there are more pirates outside. They seem to be still looking for that treasure…and that big guy. I'll make sure to keep you safe…and the treasure. So don't worry, okay?"

Nami nodded. "Okay."

Naku grinned at her and opened the door.

"Goodnight, Naku."

Naku turned around and smiled back at her. Her face was still glowing, even with the fire put out.

"Goodnight, Nami."

Naku closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He felt his heart race a tad bit.

'_She sure is something else, huh.' _

Naku happily marched to his room, excited for the next day to come.

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The two spent the next two weeks together in Naku's house. Nami learned that Naku was really a former Noble who ran away because he hated their nature and evil intentions. Naku revealed to her that he hated the World Government and all their ideals. She understood why he wanted to be a pirate so badly. She wouldn't say anything ill about pirates while he was around. In turn, Naku discovered why Nami hated pirates so much. She trusted him enough to tell him about her past. He felt angered at the Arlong Pirates and swore to challenge them if he ever crossed paths with them in the future. Nami had her doubts. But she never revealed why she needed a hundred million berries. And he never asked why.

During the two weeks, the Huff Bun Pirates who came to the island to ransack the town gave up finding Nami and the treasure sack. Their captain, Pete, had disappeared and they had no clue what to do from then. After resting for two weeks, they decided to leave. There wasn't much valuables in the town anyway. When they officially departed, Nami decided to head out to sea again in order to accomplish her goal.

"I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me," said Nami, lifting the treasure sack and tossing it behind her back. Naku had a sad look on his face that Nami noticed.

"Is everything okay?"

Naku quickly nodded his head, forcing a smile.

"Of course! You have to go for your dream, I mean, goal!"

Nami smiled. "The same with you, Naku. I hope one day, you will become a true pirate. I wish you the best of luck."

"Wait, Nami."

She cocked her head a little as she waited for him to speak. "Hm?"

"Nami, thank you for giving me a fantastic two weeks! You're awesome, I mean, amazing! Wait…oh gosh."

Naku's face turned tomato red. Nami's face softened as she lowered the sack to the ground. She walked right up to him and pulled him into a warm embrace. Naku was speechless.

"I won't forget you, Naku. You saved my life and you are the only guy I've ever really trusted. So thank you. Thank you so much."

Nami gently ended the hug, much to Naku's dismay. He had to prevent all his might from getting a bloody nose.

"I-I w-won't f-forget y-you, N-Nami!" he stammered, his face revealing all too much. Nami giggled and picked up the sack.

She boarded her small boat that she kept hidden from the invading pirates and set the sails. Naku rushed to the coast, ready to bid her a safe journey.

"Will we ever see each other again?!" he yelled, the wind picking up speed.

Nami gave him a reassuring smile, a real, genuine smile.

"I know we will, Naku! I have a feeling that we will!"

Nami waved him goodbye as her boat slowly set for the sun. Naku continued waving, even when her boat was out of sight.

"Nami," he whispered.

From that day, Naku decided to pursue his dream of becoming a great pirate. He would do so, and hopefully one day convince Nami to join his crew.

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Nami continued her journey and goal of stealing treasure, and then stashing it away back in her hometown. After two long years of plunder, she eventually ran into a spunky and mysteriously adventurous boy named Monkey D. Luffy. At first, she distrusted him and his motives of being a pirate, but soon came to realize that he was more than just a pirate, but a person with human emotions. After many adventures with him and some other goofballs, she returned home to her village where Luffy dealt a devastating blow to her captor, Arlong, and broke the shackles which held her heart. Nami eventually grew a real fondness for Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, and decided to become their navigator. Sadly, she did in fact forget Naku, the boy who saved her two years prior.

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Two Years Later…

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"Nami! That hurt!" yelled Luffy, clutching his sore head. A large bump emerged from his hair.

The day had started out like any other day for the Straw Hat Pirates. Well…a day where they weren't fighting another pirate crew. Everyone lazily did their business across the ship. While Zoro and Sanji argued over something like they always did, everyone else did their tasks in solitude. Luffy was the same…at first. He was fishing alongside the rail of the Thousand Sunny before his eyes found a 'mystery' firefly buzz past his silly grin which replaced his determined frown. He pushed his way past Chopper and Usopp before bursting through the bathroom which Nami was occupying for her morning shower. Perturbed by his rudeness and stupidity, she bonked him multiple times on the head. Despite being made of rubber, Nami's punches were always strong enough to hurt the rubber boy. A victorious grin was all that displayed on her face.

"Serves you right, pervert!"

Nami booted Luffy from the bathroom and back outside. He continued to rub his sore head.

"Why is she all mad," he grumbled. His pain was replaced by joy when Sanji announced he would be preparing lunch.

"Yahoo!"

Luffy raced down the steps and stood in front of the kitchen door, looking inside. Sanji was getting ready to prepare the meat and vegetables.

"Looks so good!"

Usopp called Luffy over so the two could fish together before they ate. He happily complied. After an hour of fishing, Sanji announced lunch was ready and everyone piled inside.

"Smells good."

"Sure does!"

"Better be some good sake with this."

"My butt hurts!"

"You're a baby."

"My bump feels better!"

"That's good, wait, say what?"

Everyone looked at Luffy. He grinned at them wildly.

"Nami gave me a bump!"

Sanji's jaw dropped to the ground. He grabbed Luffy by his t-shirt. "She gave you a WHAT?!"

Luffy's brow raised.

Zoro grunted behind the cook. "What's got you fired up, Eyebrows? That time of the month already?"

Sanji glared at the swordsman with laser eyes. "This bastard said Nami gave him a hump! I'm gonna kill him!"

Zoro tsked in disgust. "You really are a pervert, aren't you…"

"What did you say?!"

"Stop making so much noise, Sanji-kun."

Sanji received his very own bump after Nami pounded on his head from behind. Luffy clapped his hands, laughing.

"Now we both have bumps, Sanji!"

"You don't say…"

"Which reminds me, Luffy."

Nami bonked Luffy over the head a second time. He fell over and crashed on the ground.

"Nami, common! What's your deal?!" he hollered. Nami clapped her hands together.

"You left the door open when you left. A bunch of bugs came into the bathroom."

"But you're the one who opened it!" he retorted.

Nami bonked him over the head again. Luffy whined in distress. Zoro grunted under his breath.

"Looks like it's that time of the month for everyone…"

Nami hit Zoro over the head with a fierce punch. The swordsman let out a cry.

"You all need to grow up!" she barked and nonchalantly took a seat at the table. Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro moaned from their beatings. The rest of the crew gave some thought before taking their seats. Robin sat next to Nami.

"Is everything okay?" she asked Nami, taking a sip of tea left by Sanji. Nami let out a sigh of frustration.

"Yeah. It's just, something about today is making me feel itchy. Like on the inside."

Robin nodded but didn't quite understand what Nami was talking about.

"Today is…today is like another," she whispered. Robin raised a brow. What on Earth was Nami talking about?

"Dinner is served," announced Sanji, waltzing over to the table with trays of food. Luffy's eyes glittered gold.

"Where's all the booze, cook?" asked Zoro. Sanji gave him a face.

"You know where it is, idiot."

Zoro grumbled and got up to shuffle around the bottles of sake. Luffy began to stretch his rubber arms in order to grab all the meat.

"Careful, Luffy!" yelled Franky, shielding himself from the barbecue sauce Luffy was splashing everywhere from all the meat.

"Seriously, you idiot, stop taking all the meat!" cried Usopp. Luffy continued to scarf down as much meat as possible. Nami was beginning to boil up inside.

"Gimme that meat!" yelled Usopp, tugging on a large piece of meat that Luffy also wanted.

"It's mine!" yelled Luffy.

"You have enough!"

"There is never enough meat!"

"Stop pulling you dork!"

"Gimme!"

"No you gimme!"

"You suck!"

"Stop arguing you two!"

"Stay out of this!"

"Toei!"

Nami was about to smash both of them into the table before Luffy's grip on the meat released and the entire steak smacked Nami in the face. She crashed backwards, her Log Pose breaking into tiny pieces. The kitchen grew completely silent. A bird chirped in the distance.

"Birdy," whispered Luffy. Usopp smacked his head.

"Nami-san! Are you okay!" asked Sanji, picking Nami up. She quickly shooed him away, her eyes filled with tears. Blood was coming from her hands. Luffy's mouth fell open.

"N-Nami…are you okay!?"

Sanji kicked Luffy across the room and landed a thud on top of Usopp's head.

"You guys hurt Nami-san! You guys are idiots!" yelled Sanji.

Chopper quickly tended to Nami's hands, but she brushed him aside. Nami's gaze was glued to the Log Pose that was now in broken fragments. The band was all that remained. She walked over to Luffy who slowly got up.

"Nami, are your hands oka—"

SMACK!

Nami delivered a strong message across Luffy's face as she marched right past him outside, slamming the door behind her.

"She closed the door at least," grunted Zoro. Sanji looked ready to kick him across the room but the damage in the kitchen was already at a worst.

"Luffy!" roared Sanji.

Luffy eyed Sanji from beneath the brim of his hat.

"Go apologize, now!"

Luffy nodded slowly and walked towards the door. Usopp followed.

"I have this under control, Usopp," whispered Luffy.

"But Luffy, it's my fault too…"

"No."

Luffy opened the door and closed it behind him. Usopp returned to his seat.

"Would anyone like a song?" asked Brook, pulling out his violin. A slice of meat smacked the skeleton right in the sockets. "Delicious, Sanji-san! Yohohohohoho!"

Luffy looked around the deck for any signs of Nami. She was nowhere outside. He looked at the crow's nest but knew she probably wouldn't go there. He then figured she must have gone to her room. He stood outside of it and took a deep breath. After a moment of hesitation, he knocked.

"Go away, Luffy."

"Nami…I'm really sorry about your hands."

"I said, go away!"

"Please come outside. It's such a nice day."

"Go away!"

Luffy scratched his head and gave it some more thought. If Nami didn't come out, Sanji would hurt him again. Plus, he needed to see if she was okay. Her hands must be in severe pain.

"I'm coming in, Nami."

"You better not."

"Well, here I go!"

"No!"

Luffy opened the door. Nami was curled up on her bed, her eyes focused on the wall ahead. She didn't dare look at Luffy. He closed the door behind him.

"Go away, Luffy. I already told you to go."

Luffy ignored her and proceeded forward.

"I'm warning you. I will hurt you."

Luffy walked right next to her bed.

"I'm going to count to three."

He took off his hat.

"One."

He gave it a look.

"Two."

He put it on Nami's head.

"Three…"

Nami let out a sigh of defeat. How did Luffy always get her to calm down? He was something else.

"Luffy…"

He sat on the bed next to her and smiled slightly.

"What do you want?"

"I want you."

Nami's eyes shot right at Luffy's, startled.

"Y-You w-want," she stammered.

'_Did he just say that?!' _

"I want you to be okay, Nami."

Nami slapped her face. Of course that's what he wanted.

"Are…are your hands okay, Nami?"

She sighed and showed Luffy her hands. They were cut up but no longer bleeding. He took them both in his own and studied them. Nami could feel her face heat up.

"W-What are you doing?" she asked warily.

Luffy grinned.

"Just makin' sure they're okay! They seem better than before! That's a relief!"

He gently rubbed them together with his own hands, feeling her smooth skin. Nami raised an eyebrow.

"They feel better too! Just like a long time ago!"

"What are you talking about?"

Luffy let go and looked at the wall.

"When you hurt yourself trying to save Usopp. At your village you stabbed your hand. But afterwards I felt it and it felt better!"

Nami blinked a couple of times and then laughed. Luffy laughed with her. Luffy was such a confusing person.

"You are such an idiot," she said simply, patting Luffy's arm. He grinned.

"But I'm totally awesome, aren't I?"

Nami looked at him. The ray from the sun hit his face almost perfectly. He actually looked good from where she was sitting. His face always had that plastered smile that was always a sight for sad eyes. She needed that smile. It made her smile all the time. Suddenly, she felt her hand move towards his.

"Luffy I…"

"Luffy! Get on out here!" yelled Zoro.

Luffy jumped from the bed and looked at Nami.

"We're okay then?" he asked innocently. Nami exhaled softly and nodded. Luffy grinned.

"Good!"

He slammed the door shut.

Nami threw herself back on her bed and looked at the ceiling.

"He really is something else…isn't he…"

She ran her fingers on the palms of her hands. She remembered Luffy holding them. His hands…had they always felt so soft? She only could remember a few times when he touched her. He always did it so gently and caringly. A guy who could pummel down the mightiest foes had the softest touch. How ironic.

"Nami!" hollered Luffy. "Come outside!"

Nami groaned. She was in a really comfy position. How it would feel for another to share the bed with her. Luffy…

Nami shook her head violently and walked outside.

"You forgot the door," mocked Zoro with a fleeting grin. Nami rolled her eyes and slammed the door.

"Is Nami-san feeling better," asked Sanji, rushing to her side and feeling her hands. Surprisingly, Sanji had rough hands compared to Luffy's soft hands. What the heck was with this crew?

"I'm fine," she said, pulling her hands away. "What's going on, Luffy?"

Luffy had his face gleaming at an island ahead. Of course she didn't know about the island…someone broke her Log Pose.

"What island is that?" she asked.

Usopp cleared his throat. "It appears to be some sort of island."

Nami gave him a look.

"We'll find out when we get there!" beamed Luffy.

The Straw Hats prepared to land ashore.

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"Captain! Captain!"

A chubby sailor rushed toward the bar and barged through.

"What is it, Bart?"

"Captain, there are pirates landing ashore!"

The captain tapped his chin. He was unsure if this would be a problem.

"Do you know what pirates they are?"

Bart pinched his face. It looked full of fear.

"Y-Yeah! I-It's…It's…the Straw Hat Pirates!"

The captain's eyes immediately shot open.

"Should we attack, sir? Their captain, Monkey D. Luffy is worth four hundred million berries! He's dangerous!"

The crewmates inside the bar gave each other looks. Straw Hat Luffy certainly had a fearsome reputation. His crew was fearsome as well. However, the captain let out a laugh. The rest of the crew were confused.

"Sir?"

"Let them come!" he sang. The orange-haired man took a big swig of beer. "Ah! Tis a good day to live my men! Rejoice!"

"The captain's gone mad!"

"He's insane!"

"Either that, or brave!"

"Brave, yes brave!"

"We have the bravest captain!"

The crewmates began to sing and dance around the bar. The captain continued to chug the beer, finishing it with a clatter.

"At long last! At long, long last! I finally get to see her! I finally get to see her!"

He walked towards the bar doors, putting on his black captain's hat.

"I finally get to see you, Nami!"

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**So this is the beginning of the story. Please tell me what you guys think! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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"Hat! Hat! Hat! Where's my hat?!"

The Thousand Sunny had finally anchored ashore. The calm breeze synchronized with the song from the overhead birds and the rumbling torrents of crashing waves. The sky was painted radiant blue and orange.

"I know I just had it! Where is my hat?!"

Indeed, the sun was at its highest peak, glimmering its rays across the shoreline, teasing the dwellers with its warm embrace.

"Guys, help me find it!"

Not a single thing could ruin such a peaceful moment…

"PLEASE! I'M GONNA DIE! WAHHHH!"

Oh nevermind…

"Luffy! Will you get a grip?! You can't be that stupid! Ugh!"

Luffy turned his head and looked over to where Nami was standing. She had her arms crossed and wore an agitated expression. He blinked a couple of times until he comprehended the situation. A grin emerged from his face.

"Nami! You're wearing my hat!"

Nami shook her head in disbelief. The rest of the crew followed suit.

"You always freak out before you look at your surroundings, idiot."

Zoro's eyebrow raised as he silently questioned to himself as to why Nami was wearing Luffy's hat in the first place. Usopp was also wondering the same thing, but neither bothered to comment on it.

Luffy marched over to Nami with a silly grin on his face and tapped her head playfully before taking his hat. She could feel her face heat with a bit of irritation, but only pushed Luffy away with a muttered 'hmph!'.

She then was first to climb down the giant ship and land on the rocky earth below her. It felt good to finally get off the ship and touch dry land. The rest of the Straw Hats made their way down except for Luffy, who continued to peer across the enormous island.

"Whoa, it's so cool! So big! I can't believe how big…"

His voice trailed off after his eyes stopped at a certain pirate ship that was a good distance away from the Thousand Sunny, but was hidden behind a clutter of trees. Luffy cocked his head and puckered his lips.

'_I wonder what pirates they are.' _

The mysterious pirate ship was painted almost entirely orange with skulls painted on the side. The Jolly Roger was a skull, sporting wavy orange hair and a typical black pirate hat. There was also some blue paint with the orange, forcing the ship to stand out.

"Luffy! What are you waiting for?" called Nami. She began to tap her feet.

"I see another pirate ship you guys! It's really neat! It's painted with your favorite color, Nami!"

Nami groaned a little as the rest of the crew felt impatient as well.

"Who cares, Luffy? If they pose a threat, we'll just kick their ass," hollered Zoro. He was starting to feel hungry.

"Wait, I wanna see!" shouted Usopp. He began to climb up the ship again.

"Me too!" squealed Chopper and Brook in unison.

"You guys," whined Nami. "We don't have time for this!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Usopp. "We're in no rush."

Sanji gave Nami a puzzled look. "Is there something wrong, Nami-san?"

She pouted and crossed her arms. She could feel the tension in her body compressing.

"I don't necessarily need to be anywhere, but why are we bothering with such a simple matter? Like Zoro said, it isn't that big of a deal, we've seen ships before."

Sanji nodded in agreement. However, Usopp was yelling down to the rest of the crew of his findings.

"Hey guys! Luffy's right! There's another ship here with amazing colors! It's behind those trees! There's a mermaid painted on the hull with cool looking swords!" he shouted, pointing to the clutter of trees.

"Really?!" beamed Sanji. He took off for the ship. Zoro shrugged his shoulders and surprisingly followed. Nami was now feeling the rage inside her boil.

"Oh come on!" She stomped her foot down and clenched her fists. "Whatever! You guys can gawk at the stupid ship for all I care! I'm going to look around! Coming, Robin? Franky…eh?!"

Everyone except Nami was now back on the Thousand Sunny, chattering amongst themselves about the ship with 'Nami's favorite color'.

She bit her lower lip. Her eyes were glowing red.

'_Ergh! Stupid, stupid, stupid! They're so damn fascinated over an orange ship! We've seen millions of them all across the damn ocean! Well…not orange…but still!' _

Her mind suddenly turned soft.

'_Luffy said it was painted my favorite color…since when did that idiot figure out my favorite color was orange? Bah! It's probably red and he just assumed my favorite color's red. Wait, does that mean I think Luffy's favorite color is red? Oh whatever! This is all Luffy's fault! He's always causing so much trouble! I know I'm a little high strung today…but something about today is really bugging me! I just need to shop!' _

She took a deep breath before walking off into the town by herself.

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"Is that really the name of this town?" asked Nami.

The island turned out to be a thrilling sight of colors. Not with orange, but with many shades of blue, green, and yellow. Nami was browsing around the area, finding many people of old and new as well as many stores but nothing that seemed to tweak her interest. She was now asking an old woman about the town.

"It sure is a strange name, I know, but it sure is a lively one. The name fits perfectly."

The name of the town? Romancia.

For a simple name, it sure had a lovely ring to it. Romancia. Sounded just like romance.

'_A romantic island is just what I need.' _

"No, no. It's a very pretty name. Very lively. And there sure are a lot of stores here," Nami commented.

Every block seemed to be filled with stores of all kinds. From jewelry stores, to bakeries, and even bookstores as well.

"This is a tourist attraction," said the old woman. "Thankfully, it doesn't attract pirates. We don't need any here. Even though we're in the New World, this town has been spared by the likes of them."

Nami felt a bead of sweat form on her forehead. She laughed it off reassuringly yet nervously.

"Of course, of course, wouldn't want any pirates! By the way, miss," remembered Nami. She looked down at the band that once was a Log Pose. "Do you sell Log Poses here?"

The old woman nodded causing Nami to happily clap her hands. That didn't last though.

"We do. Unfortunately though, the dang things are worth usually around one hundred thousand berries a piece! You can find them at the Glassware Express down a couple blocks to the right, but mind the price."

Nami had to keep the best happy face and composure she could, despite her entire body trembling with anger.

"Th-That's f-fantastic, miss! Th-hank…th-thank you!"

Nami quickly turned and bolted for the Glassware Express, but only for perusing purposes.

'_A hundred thousand a piece! Holy shit! Thanks a lot, Luffy! You owe me a new Log Pose you asshole!' _

She finally arrived at the Glassware Express and understood immediately why Log Poses would cost so much money.

The entire outside of the building was decked out in gold and silver. There were enormous pillars with pearls that decorated their entirety. Nami's surprised demeanor changed even more when she walked inside. The place was huge! Glass chandeliers hung from the ceiling while the entire floor was covered in glistening gold. If it were possible, she might have considered stealing the entire place!

"This is unreal! Everything is so dazzling!"

The 'Ooos' and 'Ahhs' continued to exit her mouth as she walked around the area. Not only did they sell Log Poses, but they also supplied a great amount of glass sculptures and silverware. It was unbelievable.

"I must be in a castle."

Nami finally decided to look more closely at the Log Poses on display. There were all different shapes and sizes that were decorated differently, however, they all shared the typical New World style with three pointed needles. One particular Log Pose caught her attention.

"It's beautiful!"

The Log Pose she was admiring was covered in a gold finish, with each needle painted in a shiny orange texture. The band was made out of a durable wood that amazingly stretched to fit the user's wrist. But the most incredible part about it was a painted tangerine on the side of the band, decorated with an array of orange crystals. The Log Pose had her name written all over it. She had to buy it.

Of course, until she saw the price tag…

"NO WAY!"

Nami quickly put the Log Pose back on the stand. The clerk gave her a questionable look. The tag read a whopping one million berries. Not a hundred thousand like the old woman said, but ONE MILLION.

"For a stinkin' Log Pose?! Get real!"

Nami let out a huge sigh as she flung her hands into the air. The most implausible Log Pose she ever saw was more than her typical budget.

"Looks like I'll have to steal some more treasure," she grumbled.

"Why not take some from your one hundred million stash?"

"Yeah, I wish I had—"

Nami whipped around to see who said that. A tall, muscular man with orange wavy hair and a pirate style hat was standing right behind her, almost too close for comfort. She hadn't noticed him until now.

"It is an unbelievable treasure, isn't it? I'd say it suits you even, I mean, with the orange and the tangerine. Well, and you are after all, a navigator," chuckled the mysterious man. His blue eyes were shining right at her hazel ones. She was so confused.

"Just who are you? How do you know what I like?" she snapped. This guy was starting to annoy her.

He chuckled again. Nami was about to grab his collar when she heard a familiar, obnoxiously happy voice.

"Nami! There you are! We thought you'd be here!" yelled Luffy who was sporting a stupid grin.

"Don't lie, idiot," snapped Sanji. "You wanted to go to the bakery."

The rest of the crew joined up next to Luffy.

"This place is amazing, isn't it Nami!" cried Chopper.

"It really is beautiful," said Robin.

"You sure are!" squealed Sanji.

Zoro flared his nostrils. "Pervert…"

"What'd you say, Moss Hair!"

"You want to fight!"

Franky started to break up the two. Luffy marched over to where Nami and the man were standing.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Nami?" sang Luffy. His eyes lit up when he saw the tangerine Log Pose.

"It's so totally cool!" he exclaimed. Nami slapped her face.

"You better not break this one, Luffy," she growled. "This one is a million berries."

Luffy's jaw dropped. "A MILLION?! HOLY WHALES!"

"Laboon? Are you here?" whispered Brook.

Nami slapped Luffy upside the head. "Stop being so loud, idiot. We don't need a scene!"

The man watching the entire act began to laugh. Nami and the rest of the crew stopped their antics at once.

"Just as I expected! The Straw Hat Pirates are certainly a show to behold!"

The clerk's cigarette dropped to the ground as he hastily ran off to a staircase. Nami let out a sigh, knowing now their cover was gone.

"Who are you?" asked Luffy, picking his nose. Nami slapped at his hand.

"Straw Hat Luffy!" the man proclaimed.

"No, that's my name."

"Cyborg Franky!"

"Yeah, I'm over here."

"Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro!"

"Eh?"

"Cotton Candy Lover Chopper!"

"You know my name!?"

"Humming Brook!"

"Can you lend me some money? Yohohohoho!"

"Black Leg Sanji!"

"Hm?"

"Devil Child Nico Robin!"

"Yes?"

"Sniper King Usopp!"

"The one and only!"

"And last but not least," he said, grabbing both of Nami's shoulders. Nami's eye twitched. Sanji was also feeling a bit displeased at his boldness. The man's eyes were now sparkling.

"The Lovely Queen Nami!"

"Isn't it Cat Burglar...?"

"Nami's a queen?!"

"Luffy you, idiot!"

Nami's mouth hung open. "Q-Queen?!" She never thought of herself as a queen before.

"It's been too long, Nami! Four long years I've waited to see you again!" the man exclaimed. Nami put her hands on her hips and closed her eyes. She shook her head before opening them.

"What do you mean, for 'four long years'? Can you please tell us who you are?!"

The man grinned madly.

"It's me—"

"Straw Hat Luffy!"

"I told you that's my name!" whined Luffy.

However, there was now a swarm of police officers surrounding the crew and the mystery man. They all had guns pointed at them. The customers began to scream and run away.

"The Straw Hat Pirates?! Here?! Why now?!" shouted a young woman. She grabbed her two kids and ran for the exit. The rest of the customers followed suit.

Nami let out a huge groan.

'_Can't I just have a peaceful day?!' _

"There are pirates here?!" screamed Luffy. Sanji and Nami both hit him over the head.

"What brings you pirates here?" grunted one of the officers. He looked like the one in charge. "This is no place for your kind of reputation!"

"Monkey D. Luffy is worth four hundred million berries!" exclaimed another officer.

"The entire crew is worth at least eight hundred million berries!" yelled another one.

"Looks like you can pay for your Log Pose after all," said the mystery man to Nami. She gave him a look.

"No way!" cried the second speaking officer.

"That's…"

"It's Orange Doom Naku!"

The Straw Hats each felt their eyes travel to the proud standing pirate captain, Naku. His face looked as if he had conquered the world. His wide grin mimicked the one Luffy always displayed in a way. However, the Straw Hat captain wasn't at all impressed.

"Orange Doom Naku? Aha. Aha. Ahahahahaha!"

Luffy began to laugh hysterically. "What a funny name!"

Naku's grin vanished as he felt his face flush with embarrassment.

"Naku…" whispered Nami. "Why does that sound so familiar?"

"Naku? Never heard of him," whispered Usopp to Chopper.

"He must be a rookie."

"Why Orange Doom? Is he like a wizard?"

The police officers raised their guns back into place to gather everyone's attention. The one that looked like the lead officer cleared his throat.

"My name is Officer Lambert. Although not affiliated with the Marines, I hereby sentence you all under arrest!"

Luffy smiled and raised his arms in surrender. Nami pounded his head.

"Nami! Stop hitting my head!" he cried. She hit him again.

"Officer Lambert, we may be pirates, but we aren't looking for any trouble. We are only here as tourists. We don't plan to attack this town or anyone," assured Nami. Lambert wasn't at all convinced.

"I don't care why you're here! You need to leave at once or we will arrest you!" he barked.

"Sir, should we contact the Marines?" asked one of the officers. Usopp let out a shriek. But Naku remained calm.

"Why aren't there any Marines stationed here?" he asked. Lambert felt sweat beginning to form at the base of his forehead.

"We…we don't like Marines!" he shouted, staring angrily at the officer who asked to contact the Marines. The surrounded group all raised their brows.

"Don't like the Marines?" asked Franky. "But they stop guys like us!"

Lambert began to curse under his breath. Everyone waited for what came next. Things were getting interesting.

"Marines…Marines…oh forget it!" yelled Lambert. He dropped the gun he was holding in his hand. The weapon fell to the ground and smashed into tiny pieces. Jaws fell to the floor.

"I-It was fake?!"

"The whole time! Wow…"

"I guess all their guns are fake."

"The pieces look like candy!"

"Shut up, Luffy."

Lambert squeezed his eyes shut and then burst. "Lower your 'weapons' men! The show's over!"

The fake police officers grumbled and groaned but dropped their plastic guns to the ground. They all shattered into pieces.

"Talk about fragile," whispered Nami.

Lambert pointed one finger at Luffy and another at Naku. His fingers were trembling.

"Now you listen, pirates! We won't call the Marines, but we'll sure give you hell! This town has been free of pirates for many years and I'm not about to let you all destroy it!"

His voice was full of courage, but his body wasn't taking the hint. Luffy puffed his chest out and then let out a huge roar of laughter. Everyone became very silent.

"W-What's so funny?" asked Lambert.

Luffy grinned at him. "Just look at your mustache! You look like some sort of nutcracker!" Luffy continued to laugh until Nami punched his head.

"I-I'll stop," he moaned. Nami growled at him and then looked at Lambert, who rubbed his mustache.

"Lambert, we may be pirates, but I already told you guys we aren't looking for trouble. We are just here to have some fun, right guys?" she asked, looking at the rest of the crew and at Naku.

"Of course!"

"Yeah, you guys have such a beautiful town."

"I can't wait to explore your kitchen stores!"

"Hopefully I'll see some neat swords."

"Meat! You guys have meat?"

Nami grinned at Lambert. "You see? We are only here for exploring. We're not here for glory."

Naku joined in. "Yes, and my crew will also be on our best behavior guaranteed! You'll have no problems!"

Lambert sighed, but it was a sigh of relief.

"Thank you all. I haven't met kind pirates before. You all are welcome to stay. Better tell the rest of the town, Jimmy," he instructed, pointing to the one named Jimmy. The man nodded and rushed to the nearest Den Den Mushi, picking up the dial.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began. His words could be heard from all outside. "The Straw Hat Pirates and the Lucky Pirates are here on this island! Please do not be afraid! I repeat, do not be alarmed! These pirates mean no harm! They are here to guard this island for the sake of our town!"

"Guard the island?" mumbled Sanji. Zoro shook his head.

"So please, welcome them with happy faces!" rejoiced Jimmy. After that, he hung up. Voices could be heard from outside. Even some tourists began to walk back into the store.

"Thank goodness," said Lambert. He then looked at the bunch with a meek smile. "Sorry, it's best we say you all are guarding this island. The town's people and the tourists will feel much safer around you all if they know you're here with a meaningful purpose."

Nami nodded her head. "Well, I guess we'll have to live up to it then. We'll be glad to guard this island," she said.

Luffy cocked his head. "How long are we gonna stay here, Nami?"

She shrugged her shoulders and felt her eyes travel to her favorite Log Pose.

'_Until I get that Log Pose!' _

"You will want to stay for the Christmas Romancia Festival," said Naku. The Straw Hats looked at him, confused.

"Say what now?" asked Zoro.

Naku continued. "This town is Romancia. They host an annual event known as the Christmas Romancia Festival. On Christmas Day, shooting stars shoot across the sky and can only be seen on this island."

"Or if you're out at sea," mumbled Usopp.

"They host a big party with lots of food and drink, all for free! That's what someone told me at the bar," said Naku. Luffy's eyes shimmered with sparkles.

"Free food?!"

Lambert nodded his head. "He's right. It's a huge celebration. You all should attend."

Everyone talked amongst themselves until Zoro snapped them back into reality.

"Now just hold on," he began. Sanji gave him a look. "What, Moss Head? Are you partying out?" Zoro glared at him.

"No idiot, it's just…Christmas is in like four months!"

"Three months to be exact," corrected Robin. She gave Zoro a wink.

"Oh, whatever! It's just a long time," he complained.

Sanji clicked his tongue. "That's great then. We finally get to relax a bit. No need to hurry. If we stay on this island, we'll have plenty of supplies to choose from. And three months isn't all that bad."

Zoro looked at Luffy. "Do we really have to stay?" he mumbled.

Luffy's glittering eyes nearly blinded Zoro.

"Of course we do! Free food! Oh, and of course the star thingy."

"You only want the food, idiot."

Zoro tossed his arms up. "Whatever. At least we won't have to worry about the next island for some time. I need to catch up on some sleep."

"You always sleep."

"Wanna fight, Eyebrows?"

Naku gave Nami a warm smile. "That sounds fantastic then! I'll make sure to tell my crew! It'll give us plenty of time to catch up, Nami!"

Nami was back to being confused. But she nodded her head slowly.

"You all enjoy your stay," said Lambert. "Please make sure to check out our entire island. It's full of adventure!"

Luffy's heart raced.

Zoro had just one more question. "So wait, you guys aren't police officers?"

Lambert laughed. "No, we don't have any. And the Marines stay away from this island. It's out of their jurisdiction. They think since this island is so far off the grid, there's no point guarding it. Plus, we had a tussle with the Marines in the past. Don't wanna talk about it. Enjoy everyone!"

He and his 'officers' walked out of the store.

The clerk at the Log Pose station had returned.

Everything was now peaceful. Maybe.

"So you're a pirate, huh?" asked Luffy, pointing at Naku. The orange-haired man laughed nervously.

"Y-Yeah. Well, not a huge pirate, but I'm one of you guys."

"How can you not be huge? This is the New World," said Sanji. Naku looked at the ground.

"Well, my crew and I are have a string of luck, I guess. We've made it into the Grand Line and managed to stay low. I mean, we've fought many pirates, but not like you all," he said. His eyes were full of excitement. "You all are legends! Causing disruption with the World Government and punching a Noble! That takes real courage!"

Luffy laughed. "Nobles are idiots!"

Naku laughed with him, only nervously. "Yeah…"

His eyes then darted back to Nami.

"But then! I heard you guys were here while my crew and I were taking a break at the bar! And I knew this was my chance to reunite with Nami!"

"Huh?!"

"Reunite?!"

Nami was completely dumbfounded. Since when did this guy appear in her life? Surely she would remember another orange-haired person. Or maybe…

"Hold on," she snapped. Naku grinned at her. "Nami, you do remember me, don't you?"

He could feel his grin slowly vanish. "You said…you said you'd never forget me…"

The Straw Hats were silently watching the two. Had Nami really forgotten?

Naku sighed. "Four years ago…we met on that island. I pulled you into my house," he began. Sanji's jaw dropped.

"What did you do to Nami-san?!" he yelled. Zoro bonked his head. The two started to fight.

"The pirate guy, Pete. I shot him…"

Naku's gaze went back to the ground. Nami closed her eyes tightly and put a finger to her chin.

"_Hey! Are you okay!?" _

"_Hey, hey, don't force yourself so quickly." _

"_Yeah…he's dead. I killed him." _

"_What if I told you, my dream is to become a pirate?" _

"_Goodnight, Nami." _

"_Will we ever see each other again?!" _

Nami's eyes shot open. The entire crew and Naku jumped back. A small curve began at Nami's lips but soon turned into a huge grin. She leapt at Naku, throwing her arms around him and pulling him into her chest. The crew's jaws smashed into the ground except for Robin who had a thoughtful smile on her face.

Naku's face was entirely blood red. Nami jumped up and down, hugging Naku madly. Sanji fell backwards and landed on top of Chopper. The reindeer cried out in pain.

"NAKU! NAKU! IT'S YOU! IT'S REALLY YOU! IT'S BEEN TOO LONG! NAKU!"

Nami continued to jump for joy while Naku tried desperately to breathe, though he was enjoying the softness of Nami's bouncing bust. Usopp shook his head.

"She did the same thing to me. Poor guy. Too bad his nose isn't long like mine. I bet he's suffocating."

Naku had to use all of his might not to explode blood out of his nose. Wasn't Nami being a bit too forward?

Customers were now watching the scene as well. Everyone's faces were beet red.

Luffy was one of them. His jaw had retracted as he silently watched Nami smother Naku. He felt a strange pain where his heart was. So strange…

Naku couldn't take it anymore. Although he tried with all of his power, his nose burst out a stream full of blood. It soaked Nami's white blouse. She let out a scream.

"Naku!"

He fell to the ground with blood running out of his nose. It looked like he had fainted.

"Chopper! He needs help!"

"Uhhhh," moaned Chopper. Sanji was still on top of him. It looked like he had fainted as well.

"Sanji-kun! Chopper! What happened?!"

"Idiot," mumbled Zoro. He pushed Sanji over so Chopper could breathe.

Chopper shakily got up and looked over at Sanji. "He's out cold…"

He then looked at Nami's bloody shirt. "Nami! What happened!? Are you okay?!"

Nami shook her head. "Nevermind that, Chopper! Naku needs medical help! His nose started to gush out blood!"

Chopper looked at Nami's blouse and then at Naku's bloody nose. He now understood the situation.

'_Just like Sanji when he saw those mermaids.' _

"Nami," he said calmly. "We need to get him back to the ship. He's lost a lot of blood so I'm going to have to perform a transfusion. We'll need a donor. I'll have to analyze his blood to get a blood type." She nodded.

"I'll come with you."

"Well, while you guys do that, I'm gonna get me some grub!" announced Zoro.

Franky walked over to Sanji and picked him up. "Looks like he's going to need some rest."

Chopper nodded. "Let's take them back to the ship. We'll meet up with you guys later."

Zoro nodded back. "We're gonna go get some food. Tell Eyebrows I said hi."

Chopper turned into his bulk form and picked up Naku. Nami walked beside of him, a worried expression on her face. She didn't know why his nose exploded blood. Such a bizarre occurring. The rest of the crew understood though. Even Luffy did. And he still had his eyes on Nami, watching her go with a concerned expression on her face. His heart was still aching, though not as bad.

"Luffy, you coming?" hollered Zoro. Robin, Brook and Usopp were also waiting. There was a sit-in diner near the opposite entrance. Luffy nodded slowly.

"Yeah…I'm coming."

He felt his heart sting when he noticed Nami touch Naku's head. After giving it some thought, he rushed to join the others for some food.

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**Probably my fastest update ever. I was insanely bored and these chapters will start out short. Hope this is still looking good! Luffy, is everything alright? **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

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"Mmmmmmm."

"Hey, hey, don't force yourself so quickly."

His eyes shot opened. Naku was lying in a bed, wrapped comfortably in white linens. Looking around, he deduced he was in some kind of medical room inside of a ship. He could hear the creaking of wood and the sound of soft waves from outside. Sitting next to him was Nami, and Chopper was busy working on a blood transfusion. He noticed his arm was hooked up to it.

"Am…am I okay?" he mumbled as he slowly got up.

"Stay lying down. Your body isn't ready to be moving. You're going to need a transfusion," ordered Chopper. He was adjusting the blood bag on a metal rack. Naku slowly laid back down.

"Nami, you're here?" asked Naku, turning his attention to the smiling girl. She nodded.

"Yeah…you had a massive nose bleed. You lost a lot of blood." She put a hand to her chin. "The only person I know who seems to get them is Sanji-kun, but that's only when he sees pretty girls."

Naku lifted his head towards the ceiling, trying hard to remember the past events. He could only remember swimming in a lake of soft marshmallows. His cheeks suddenly burned dark red.

"Are…are you alright?" asked Nami, noticing his sudden color change. Naku looked extremely embarrassed.

"N-Nami. Do you think you are pretty?" he abruptly asked. Nami's mouth opened slightly. She hadn't expected such a question. She found it hard to answer.

"M-Me? Pretty? Well, I guess so, I mean, a little?"

Her own cheeks began to darken as she shyly turned away from both Chopper and Naku. It always made her blush when someone commented or noticed her looks. She usually never thought of herself as pretty. Cute, but not pretty or beautiful.

"I-I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, Nami! How should I explain this?" he sighed.

Chopper gasped. He now understood what Naku was trying to tell Nami. He knew very well what was going through Naku's head.

"Nami," said Chopper, bringing back her attention. Naku stared nervously at the tiny reindeer. Chopper had just finished the final touches with the transfusion bag. It was then that Naku noticed that both his and Nami's arm had each a similar tube connected to the same bag. Before he could ask about it, Chopper continued on.

"Normally, a man feels infatuation when he sees a pretty girl," he began. Nami nodded her head slowly. Naku felt his face heat up.

"My conclusion is that maybe Naku was feeling infatuated when you pulled him into your chest. Maybe even aroused."

Naku's jaw dramatically came down. Nami looked over at Naku with a flushed face. Why didn't she realize it sooner? If Sanji had been pulled into her chest, he would have died from massive blood loss and a heart attack. Naku, like any other man, was no exception. She realized that she had done something terribly embarrassing.

"N-Naku," she stammered. The whites of his eyes were now visible as he found himself swimming back into darkness.

"Naku!"

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Sanji slowly rose from his cot, dazed and slightly tired. The back of his head began to throb as he felt the blood inside of him rush back to his feet. His biggest concern was being back in the Thousand Sunny in the first place. He remembered walking into town and then everything going black. He never remembered walking back to the ship and then going for a nap. Also, his head was killing him, like someone was screaming their lungs out into his mind.

"Uhhh…I need some water."

Sanji put on his shoes that somehow magically detached themselves from his feet and shuffled towards the wooden door. He opened it and admired the sunset.

"So peaceful."

It was peaceful until the sounds of cries echoed from the medical room. Sanji cocked his head.

'_Is someone else on the ship?' _

He walked towards the medical room but froze when he heard Nami's voice.

'_Nami-san's in danger!' _

"Nami-swan!" yelled Sanji as he kicked open the door. "Is Nami-san ok—"

His voice trailed off when he noticed Naku lying in the bed, his face entirely ghost white. Nami was sitting next to him, her hand covering her mouth in shock. A tube was attached to her arm which connected to a transfusion bag. Something was going on.

"Sanji-kun!" Nami gasped. Chopper turned and looked over at the worried chef.

"Looks like you recovered, Sanji," he muttered. "Too bad my head still hurts from you falling on top of me!"

Sanji's brow raised. "Huh? What's going on in here, Nami-san?"

Nami's eyes went back to the unconscious Naku.

"And who is he?" questioned Sanji. He didn't like the fact Nami was in another room with a male stranger. Even though Chopper was accompanying her.

Nami touched Naku's wrist with gentle fingers. Sanji felt his face heat up in jealousy.

"He's Naku, remember? We met him at the Glassware Express."

Sanji looked up at the ceiling, trying his best to remember.

"Glassware Express," he mumbled.

"You and him passed out," she continued.

Sani closed his eyes.

"Hmmm. Yes, I remember now. But I only passed out because…"

His eyes shot open.

"Ohhh…"

Sanji fell on his backside. Nami gave him a confused expression.

"You…you…he…" Sanji struggled with his words.

Nami's mouth opened before she felt her face go red.

"Lucky bastard," he grumbled. Sanji punched the floor. He didn't want Nami feeling embarrassed or hurt, so he calmly composed himself and stood up.

"What's his deal though?" he asked, adjusting his tie.

Chopper examined Naku's chest and then his forehead.

"My diagnosis is pretty simple. He needs rest and it's better if we leave Nami and him alone for a while."

Sanji wasn't liking where this was going.

"Why the hell is that an option?" asked Sanji with a hint of anger.

Chopper walked over to Sanji and pulled him close. Nami was busy looking at Naku with a pained expression. By the looks of it, she was still embarrassed for what she did.

"Let's just give them time to get back to normal. After all, you don't want Nami to feel sad, right?" whispered Chopper. Sanji gave a quick glance over at Nami and sighed.

"Fine. But I don't trust this guy," he grunted.

Chopper looked over at Naku and then at his black captain's hat which hung from a wooden peg.

"It'll be alright. Nami knows this guy and she really cares about him. We'll all be back on the ship later tonight anyway, so there's nothing to worry about," he assured.

Sanji clicked his tongue and lit a cigarette. "Fine," he repeated.

He and Chopper walked to the door and opened it.

"Nami-san, we'll be back," he said, turning his head. Nami nodded without saying anything.

Sanji closed his eyes and shut the door behind him.

"Lucky bastard," he mumbled again. Chopper looked at Sanji with quiet thoughts rolling inside his head.

"I heard that," snapped Sanji, biting down hard on the cigarette. Chopper jumped back.

"I didn't say anything!" he said defending himself. Sanji bit so hard on the cigarette it broke.

"Lucky bastard!" he yelled.

"Hey! You're looking better, Sanji!"

Sanji and Chopper looked up at Franky who was chugging down some cola. He gave them a thumbs up.

"Why are you here, Franky?" asked Sanji, his tone simmering down.

"He carried you back when you fell unconscious," reminded Chopper. The three of them gathered at the ladder.

"So, that really happened?" asked Sanji, placing a fresh cigarette between his lips. Franky and Chopper looked at each other and then at Sanji.

"What happened?" they asked at the same time.

Sanji's teeth clenched as he fumbled with the lighter.

"He really got to go swimming in Nami-san's breasts?"

Franky and Chopper looked at each other and then at Sanji. Sweat beads rolled down their foreheads.

"Sure did," they said unanimously.

Sanji bit through the cigarette and jumped a good distance in the air, screaming wildly.

More sweat poured down their faces as they watched the cook do acrobatics in the air.

With his eyes dark red and his legs blazing fire, Sanji continued to roar like a wild man.

"LUCKY BASTARD!"

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"Luffy, there's still food on your plate."

The four other Straw Hats were still in the Glassware Express, finishing the food they ordered. However, Luffy barely ate any of his food. In fact, it was unusual to say that he wasn't even reaching over to snatch the rest of his crewmates' meals. This was particularly strange, especially for a monster eating menace like Luffy.

"Earth to Luffy," snapped Usopp, waving one of his drumsticks in the boy's face. Luffy was resting his chin in his hand, looking at the store's exit. He had a very blank expression painted on his face.

"Luffy! Hey, Luffy!" yelled Usopp, now waving four drumsticks in his face. Zoro let out a belch and reached over for the drumsticks.

"Well, if he's not gonna eat them, then I will," he said. However, before he could even touch them, Luffy quickly snatched them from Usopp and wolfed them down. Zoro tsked at the sudden move.

"What's wrong with you, Luffy?" asked Usopp, picking at the leftover crumbs on his plate. He kind of wished that he had eaten the drumsticks and not used them as something to get Luffy's attention. What a stupid idea.

Luffy finished munching on the drumsticks and went back to resting on his hand.

"Dunno," he mumbled.

Usopp threw his hands in the air, defeated. During this scene, Robin was silently studying Luffy, but she made mental notes instead of questioning him then and there.

After Zoro gulped down the rest of his beer, he stood up. "Well, no point staying here anymore. Let's get back the ship. I'm bored."

Usopp immediately objected. "No way, Zoro! We should explore the island more. I bet there's plenty of _adventure_ out there," he said, emphasizing the word adventure right underneath Luffy's breath. The boy continued to stare blankly at the exit.

"Ugh, what do you think we should do, Luffy?" asked Zoro. He really didn't feel like exploring. Actually, he wanted to go back to the ship and take a relaxing nap. After all, it was getting dark and bedtime was beckoning.

Luffy still wasn't paying any attention to the words of his crewmates.

"Luffy-san?" whispered Brook.

Robin continued to silently watch her captain. He was looking a little ill.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" barked Zoro, grabbing the back of Luffy's cardigan.

Luffy finally snapped out of it.

"Huh? You talking to me, Zoro?"

Zoro slapped his face and released the grip on the cardigan. "Yes, you idiot. Now, do you want to go exploring, or would you rather relax on the ship?"

Luffy puckered his lips and looked at the exit.

"What does Nami want to do?" he suddenly asked.

Zoro gave him a puzzled look. "Who cares what she wants? She's not even here! She's with that Naku guy."

Luffy pouted and went back to his sulking position. "Oh."

Zoro moaned in frustration.

"You can go back to the ship by yourself, Zoro," said Usopp. "But the rest of us are going to have fun, right guys?"

"I'm actually feeling tired," yawned Chopper.

Usopp turned to see Franky and Chopper walking towards them.

"Hey, you guys!" he yelled.

Zoro looked around the building.

"Where's Nami and Naku? And where's the shitty cook at?"

"Shut up, you moss-haired mutt."

Sanji appeared from behind Franky, his face just as depressing as Luffy's.

"Why is everybody so sad?" asked Usopp.

Sanji turned his face away from the others and shuffled towards a nearby chair, taking a seat. He put his chin on his hand and began to sulk.

"Aw, common! What's with the pity party?" cried Usopp.

"Nami-san," muttered Sanji.

"Yeah, what he said," muttered Luffy.

Usopp looked at Sanji then at Luffy. "What about Nami? Are you guys upset because she did that thing to Naku? She was just a little excited to see him that's all. Trust me, it's not a big deal. She did the same thing to me."

"SHE DID?!" yelled Sanji, jumping from his chair and grabbing onto Usopp's suspenders.

"Well, yeah. But she was just a little excited to see me after the two years apart."

"A little?! You lucky bastard! She didn't do that to me!" screamed Sanji.

"Or me," mumbled Luffy. Though not perverted like Sanji, Luffy innocently enjoyed the softness of a woman's bust. He had the experience plenty of times, mostly with Makino when she picked him up and hugged him tight back in his village.

"Wait, what are you saying, Luffy?" asked Usopp warily. Luffy was certainly acting a bit fishy. Did Nami have anything to do with it?

"Are you telling us that _you _want to have Nami's chest in your face?"

Everyone became silent as they looked at Luffy's dull countenance. He wasn't acting nervous or even a bit flushed. He didn't even blink. He just looked…off.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Zoro interrupted. He shook his head. "Luffy doesn't want that kind of crap. He's not a pervert like Eyebrows."

Sanji and Zoro began to fight each other.

"I guess you're right," whispered Usopp. He continued to look at Luffy who hadn't changed his expression. There was no way any of them could tell what he was thinking about. All they knew was their captain was looking a bit spacey.

"I want to go take a nap on the ship," Luffy said suddenly.

Usopp frowned. "Really?"

Robin smiled. "Well, why don't we all go back to the ship for now and meet up with the other two first. Then everyone can choose their destination. Are they still at the ship?"

Chopper nodded. "Yeah, we were giving them some alone time. Things should be settled when we return."

Luffy glanced at Chopper and then back at the exit. Robin smiled to herself.

"Well is everyone ready? It seems we are done here," she continued.

"Let's go! I'll make Nami-san and Robin-chan some delicious desserts," sang Sanji.

"Make me something too," ordered Zoro.

"Up yours, moss balls."

"You wish."

"Bastard!"

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"I hope this doesn't make things more awkward," said Naku.

It appeared that Naku had woken up once again from fainting. He was sitting upright on the medical bed with Nami sitting right next to him, just as they were about an hour ago before Naku passed out. None of the two seemed embarrassed anymore and both seemed back to their normal selves.

"It won't," Nami replied. She gave him an assuring smile. Naku looked down. Even after all those years, he still could never find the confidence to truly look Nami in the eyes. They were always looking ahead and had a glow that paralyzed him completely.

"Naku?" whispered Nami.

"Oh, sorry, sorry," he said quickly. Naku glanced around the medical room, looking for words to put in his mouth. However, all he could do was glance around for a while and then his eyes were back to looking at Nami's chest. He just couldn't shake away that lovely memory.

"You're sure everything is okay?" she asked, feeling a familiar heat creep up towards her face. She could easily imply Naku was still shaken from earlier.

He tried his best to compose himself, thinking hard of something to bring up.

"Nami!" he blurted out. She jumped back, nearly falling over from the chair.

"W-What?" she stammered, adjusting her butt on the seat cushion.

"Sorry, sorry," he repeated. Nami blinked a couple of times and then giggled. Naku raised an eyebrow but was glad he could make her laugh. He enjoyed her smile more than anything.

"You haven't changed a bit," she said. She focused her eyes at his. This time, he didn't look away.

"Really? Well, I can't say the same about you, Nami! You look really amazing! Your hair's gotten longer," he noted. He wouldn't dare say anything about her voluptuous body.

"It has, hasn't it?" she laughed.

Naku's eyes wouldn't leave her smile. He realized that Nami had also gotten a lot more beautiful since the last time they met. Her face, her smile, her entire self. She had such a charm that seemed to capture his attention every time he looked or talked to her.

"But you do look different," she said, pointing at his hair. "Your hair is a lot longer since the last time we were together."

Naku lifted his hand and tried to reach his hair, but the tube attached to his arm prevented him from doing so. He tugged on it lightly.

"So I lost a lot of blood, huh?" he asked, changing the subject.

Nami smiled and moved closer to Naku.

"You did. But luckily, we managed to find a donor."

Naku tilted his head. "Who is it?"

She grinned at him and pointed towards her right forearm. Attached to it was a tube similar to Naku's and it led to the same bag he was hooked up to. He remembered seeing it earlier.

"No way! You, Nami?"

Nami giggled and gave him a wink. He blushed.

"Yup! Looks like you and I have the same blood type. Chopper was able to find your blood type and I knew right away it was the same as mine! Looks like there's a little bit of me in you."

Naku smiled at the comment and let it sink in.

"_Looks like there's a little bit of me in you." _

He touched his forearm and traced his tube back to Nami's, his smile never leaving his face.

"_Looks like there's a little bit of me in you." _

He closed his eyes and rubbed where the tube entered his skin.

"…_a little bit of me in you." _

He inhaled the sweet aroma wafting inside the room.

"…_me in you." _

"Naku?"

His eyes quickly opened. Nami was just watching him, a smile slowly creeping up on her face. His cheeks started to show red.

"Oh, sorry, sorry!" he blurted. Nami laughed again. This time, Naku joined her.

"I'm really glad we were able to find each other again," said Nami. Her hand reached for his. "Just two weeks with you didn't seem like enough time. I just wish I never forgot you."

Naku's cheeks were now blatantly red. He felt even hotter when her hand touched his. She had a warm smile as she gently fit her fingers in his hand and pressed it.

"Nami," he whispered. He could feel his eyes start to flutter and the weight of the universe fall on his shoulders.

She too also began to lean somewhat closer, not really thinking about it. Before they were just inches apart, a loud voice thundered aboard the ship.

"Nami-san! It's meeeeeee! Sanji-kun!"

Nami quickly turned her head towards the door. Naku opened his eyes, disappointed.

"Oh, Nami-san!" he sang, kicking the door right open, albeit unnecessarily hard.

"Sanji-kun! You don't need to kick the door down!" she scolded. Sanji cheekily grinned and looked at Naku with laser eyes.

"He didn't harm you now, right Nami-san?"

Naku gulped. Nami slapped her face, slightly irritated. "Why would he hurt me, Sanji-kun? He's not a bad guy you know."

Sanji smiled, but it wasn't a very happy one.

"He better not hurt you, Nami-san. Because if he did, I'd have to kick his ass."

Sanji looked at Naku with razor sharp teeth. Naku felt a chill shake his spine.

"Stop, Sanji-kun! Now do me a huge favor and make me something to eat please. And Naku. We haven't eaten dinner," she commanded. Sanji had hearts in his eyes.

"Aye, Nami-san! One delicious meal for the princess and a shitty, I mean, nice meal for the gentleman," he said, glaring at Naku.

"Dessert too, please?" she asked sweetly. Sanji danced around the room like a goat.

"Of course, Nami-san! And would you like dessert?" he asked Naku.

"Why, yes please. I really li—"

"Too bad, we just ran out!" sang Sanji, giving Naku a mocking wink. Naku looked down.

"Come to the kitchen when you're ready, Nami-san!"

Sanji slammed the door shut. Nami let out a huge sigh.

"Don't worry about him, Naku. He's a little overprotective around the ladies. But don't worry. We can share my dessert," she whispered, giving him a quick wink. Naku blushed.

"Sh-Share?!" he exclaimed.

Nami giggled and gave him a thumbs up. "Of course, silly. Sanji-kun makes the best food."

Naku leaned back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. His heart was beating faster than ever.

'_I must be in heaven. Even now, I'm with an angel. And the best part is, we get to spend time with each other for three months! I'm definitely in heaven.' _

"I'll be right back. Here, I'll go get the food and bring it back to you. Chopper wants you to stay rested. I'll reattach the tube when I get back," she said, undoing her tube and gently placing it on the small table beside her. She slipped on a pair of shoes.

Naku nodded his head slowly, watching as Nami tied her laces.

"Don't run off, okay?" she teased at him. He chuckled.

"I promise."

Nami gave him another wink and then walked outside to the kitchen. Naku relaxed his head against the pillow, smiling widely at the ceiling above.

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Luffy was sitting on the Thousand Sunny's head, watching the waves move beneath him. Sometimes, when he felt sad and confused, he liked to watch the waves. He enjoyed the peaceful sounds they made and loved how the moonlight cast its shadow on the dark sea. He had done a lot of thinking that day. Many thoughts of Nami flooded his mind, but he couldn't understand why he was feeling so down and so sad whenever she popped up in his thoughts. He never felt this way when Sanji flirted with her or when she talked with other men. But for some reason, the way she held Naku close to her and acted so happy to see him made him…jealous. Or so he thought that's what it could be. But nothing made sense.

"Why does it hurt!?" he cried, thumping backwards on the giant yellow head. His hand reached for his chest. He gripped it tight.

"Why does my heart feel so weird?!"

He began to shake his head.

"Stop doing this to me, Nami!"

"Luffy?"

"Huh?"

Luffy jolted from the head and looked behind him from the lion's pointy mane. Standing there was Robin, holding a cup of tea.

"Oh, it's just you," he said, disappointed it wasn't Nami. He turned back around.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked, slowly stirring the tea. She took a small sip and waited for his answer. After a lengthy pause, Luffy turned back around to face her.

"Robin, my heart hurts a lot," he complained. He dug his nails into his chest. A hand appeared from Luffy's cardigan and gently pulled his hand away from it before disappearing. Luffy grunted and crossed his arms.

"So I heard," she said, taking another sip of tea. Luffy huffed.

"Just how long have you been here?"

"Not too long. Just got here," she replied.

"What did you want?"

"Nothing really. Though I did want to talk with you. You seemed very upset today."

"Where is everyone else?"

"They are asleep I believe."

"Where's Nami?"

"She's getting ready for bed, I think."

"Where's that orange guy?"

"Naku? He said he had to return to his crew and inform them of what will be happening. He left about a half an hour ago."

"Good."

Robin was amused by Luffy's attitude. She never really saw Luffy act so grumpy. He was always so cheerful and full of life. She had to get to the bottom of things.

"So, now that we are caught up to speed, would you like to tell me what's been bothering you?" she asked. Luffy gave Robin a heavy stare down, but Robin had her very own poker face. After trying to get her to break, Luffy sighed in defeat. Robin smiled.

"It's about Nami," he began. Robin felt her smile widen.

"It all started when that orange guy put his face in Nami's chest."

"I do believe she was the one who pulled him into her chest," she corrected him. Luffy frowned at her, but Robin motioned him to continue.

"Fine. But it made me feel sick to my stomach. I'm not sure why and that's why I've been so down."

Robin nodded and took the last sip of tea before setting it back on the small plate, her smile never fading.

"A real problem. The best of luck, captain," she simply replied. She began to turn around.

Luffy's jaw dropped.

"Wait, what?! What the heck Robin?! I thought you wanted to help me!"

Robin laughed softly and began towards her room.

"It's been a fairly exhausting day. Why don't both of us get some rest? I'm confident enough to know that you will figure out the true problem at hand."

Luffy cocked his head while crossing his arms.

"But," she continued. "Let me give you simple advice, why not talk to Nami? Just have a little conversation. Maybe that will help you."

"Robin, I'm so confused," he whined.

She continued off to her room. "I know you can do it, Luffy. Goodnight."

Robin was out of sight when Luffy thumped back on the lion's head. He moaned at the stars above.

"I really need some meat," he whispered to no one in particular.

He laid there for a few minutes, listening to the waves softly crash against the docked ship. He decided that he would talk to Nami, but only when the two were completely alone. Content, he got up and walked to his room. It was then that he heard the sound of singing coming from the shower room.

"It sounds really nice," he admired aloud looking at the shower room up above. The voice sounded exactly like Nami's. Could it be her singing?

He smiled. "I want to hear it better."

Luffy took off for the shower room but stopped immediately upon reaching the top.

"If it is Nami, then she'll kill me," he said aloud. He paused and then opened the shaft to the shower room. The sound of water crashing against the floor was much more audible. He could hear the same singing from when he was outside. It was definitely Nami and she was having a blast.

"I may have only met you," she sang, water splashing hard against the floor. "But you give me such a feeling, I've never felt before!"

Her voice was jubilant and fierce but at the same time, calm and relaxing. It was a wonder no one else woke from their sleep from the volume.

"If you and I could swim towards the sun, I'd gladly be there with you," she continued to sing.

Luffy walked closer towards the opening where there was light.

'_Nami has such a nice voice. She can really sing!' _

He continued to listen, inching himself closer and closer to the light. However, his feet bumped into someone sturdy. Luffy gasped.

"Sanji! What are you doing here?!" hollered Luffy.

Sanji turned around faster than the flash of lightning, colliding heads with Luffy.

Nami turned off the water and listened carefully.

"Did I hear something?" she asked herself. She protectively covered her naked body. After a few seconds, she turned the water back on and let the water drench her. She didn't go back to singing.

"Luffy!" hissed Sanji through his teeth. "What the hell are you doing up here, you pervert!"

"Are you calling me a pervert, pervert?!" screamed Luffy.

Nami turned the water off again.

Sanji threw a hand over Luffy's mouth. He began to flail at the cook, screaming through his hold.

"Shut up you idiot! We need to get out of here before she finds out!" he hushed. Luffy simmered down and nodded. Sanji released his hold.

The water resumed.

"Why are you up here, idiot? I thought you went to bed?" whispered Sanji. Luffy shook his head.

"I was just thinking a lot lately. Then I heard Nami singing and I wanted to listen to her. She has a nice voice," he replied. Sanji let out a muffled laugh.

"Yeah right. You wanted to see her naked, didn't you?"

Luffy frowned and shook his head. "No way! I've already seen her naked."

"YOU WHAT?!" yelled Sanji in the lowest voice he could muster.

Nami turned the water down slightly.

"We all have, remember?" whispered Luffy. "She showed us at the bathhouse!"

Sanji put a finger to his chin. "Hmm, now that you mention it…yes! Ahh, what good times."

"Pervert," whispered Luffy.

Sanji bonked him on the head. Luffy growled.

"Anyway, what are _you _doing here?" hissed Luffy, although he was already sure of why Sanji was there in the first place.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Sanji. Luffy pouted.

"You're a pervert?"

"No you idiot! I wanted to hear her sing too!"

"You liar!"

"You're the liar, Luffy!"

"I wanted to hear her sing!" he yelled back, just a little too loud.

"Shut up, stupid! We need to get out of here!"

"Just admit you're a pervert! Ero-brows!"

"YOU BASTARD!"

Nami shut the water off and put on a towel.

"Who's there?" she asked, drying off her hair quickly.

"Shit! We need to go! Ahh!"

Sanji accidently stepped on Luffy's foot, causing him to scream out in pain. He held on to Sanji's collar as the two of them fell backwards, right in the light where Nami could see them. Her mouth fell.

"L-Luffy! Sanji-kun! L-LUFFY!?"

"Nami!" shouted Luffy. He quickly got off Sanji who was moaning.

"Luffy! What the hell are you doing up here?! Were you spying on me this entire time?!"

Luffy waved his hands around in protest.

"No way! I-I heard you singing and wanted to listen!"

"What?!"

Sanji continued to groan.

Nami pulled her towel closer to her chest and marched over to the two. Luffy began to sweat.

"Nami?"

With one swift kick, Nami sent Luffy and Sanji out of the shower room and onto the ground far below. Both of them groaned this time.

"Perverts!" yelled Nami. "You're both gonna owe me money! I expect this kind of crap from Sanji-kun, but Luffy! Ugh! Sometimes you really come off as a real idiot!"

Nami continued to scold them until she marched back into the shower room to change into her pajamas.

Sanji was lying on the ground out cold with Luffy on top of him. He wondered how none of the other crewmates woke up from the commotion.

After putting on her clothes, Nami hurried down the ladder and marched back to her room.

"Nami?" asked Luffy softly.

"What is it, Luffy?" she snapped, giving him a hard glare. She covered her chest with the bundle of clothes.

"Can we talk?" he whispered.

"No!" she yelled, opening the door and slamming it shut. Luffy could hear her apologize to Robin.

"I really messed up," he mumbled, lying down on Sanji's back. The cook moaned in agony from the fall.

"You really do have a nice voice, Nami," he whispered, looking up at the stars.

For some reason, they seemed to be sparkling brighter than ever before. He could only wonder what tomorrow would have in store. Blinking a couple of times, he glanced at the girl's room before falling asleep on Sanji's back.

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**Such a long wait, I do apologize guys. This has gotten off to a slow start, but I promise it will pick up soon. Next chapter will be interesting. Luffy a pervert? Nah! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

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"_Hey, Nami. Nami," called Luffy, patting Nami's cheek. Sanji, Usopp and Vivi scolded him in unison. _

_Nami moaned lightly and slowly opened her eyes. _

"_Oh! You're awake!" he cheered. He looked at her deep in her eyes with a solid expression. _

"_Listen, you can't see a doctor unless we climb a mountain," he said. "So we're going mountain climbing." _

"_Are you insane?!" yelled Sanji. "What are you trying to make Nami-san do?!" _

"_It's okay. I'll carry her," he replied. _

'_Carry me?' Nami thought to herself. _

"_That will only worsen her condition!" scolded Vivi. Usopp didn't find the idea smart at all. _

"_What?" said Luffy. "The sooner we see the doctor, the better, right?" _

"_That's true, but not like this!" corrected Vivi. "Look how steep and how high those slopes are!" _

"_I can do it," assured Luffy, his tone very stern and plain. Nami was speechless, listening to how confident her Captain sounded. For someone who normally acted like they had a screw loose, Luffy was sounding pretty serious. To make matters more frightening, she couldn't believe Luffy was actually going to carry her up a mountain. Especially with a blizzard raging on outside. _

"_Maybe you can, but it'd be too much stress on Nami-san!" retorted Sanji, his patience boiling. _

"_But hey, even if I drop her, there's snow below us!" Luffy guaranteed. Nami began to sweat even more than she already was at his logic. _

"_Even a healthy person would die instantly if they fell off THAT mountain!" cried Vivi. _

"_And anyway, her fever is six degrees above normal!" shouted Usopp. "Don't you get it?!" _

_Nami's heavy breathing silenced everyone in that room. Her eyes were glued on Luffy. The fire in the fireplace began to crackle loudly. _

"_I have to…get better soon," she wheezed, every breath hurting her chest. "Soon…for Vivi's sake." _

_Luffy watched Nami carefully, silently admiring her strength. Her sheets began to ruffle as she slowly pulled her hand out of the covers. A faint smile emerged from her damp face. _

"_Take care of me, Captain!" _

_She waited for Luffy to assure her that everything would be alright. He was the only one who could save her. With a deadly fever and a weakened immune system, Nami was on the brink of dying. Every breath she gave was painful and every movement felt more and more agonizing. The so-called 'witch' was away in her castle and Nami would have to be taken to her personally. With no time to spare, she decided to put her entire life, her entire fate in her Captain's hands. The pressure was entirely on him. One of his crewmates was passing away right in front of his eyes. _

_Luffy paused for a moment, watching as the girl continued to struggle with heavy breaths. She wore a determined smile but he knew her body was struggling to survive. Suddenly, he grinned. _

"_You got it! Leave it to me!" he exclaimed, reassuringly slapping her extended hand. _

'_I know you can do it, Luffy. I believe in you. I always will…believe in you…' _

"Luffy!" Nami screamed out loud. For a second, she hadn't realized that she had just woken up from a dream. Not just any dream, but a memory from the past. A memory of Luffy back when they were at Drum Island.

"Do you want me to get him?" asked Robin who was already up and stirring what smelled like coffee.

Nami blinked a couple of times, looking quickly around the bedroom. It was only her and Robin. Luffy was nowhere in sight.

"No, no," she replied quickly, looking bashfully at her covers.

'_How embarrassing.' _

"A bad dream, perhaps?" suggested Robin who continued to stir her coffee.

Nami looked at Robin who for some reason had a small smile form around her lips. It made her feel like Robin knew something she didn't.

"No, no," she repeated. "Just…something about Luffy." She suddenly wished she never said his name.

Robin tilted her head. "Oh? What was it about?"

Nami could tell Robin was very interested in her dream. She really didn't feel like explaining it to her, but it was Robin, and she trusted Robin like another sister.

"Well," she sighed, "It was a dream when we were back at Drum Island, where Chopper grew up."

Robin nodded and took a small sip.

"It was before you, Franky, or Brook were part of the crew," she continued. Robin again nodded.

"Well, how should I explain this? We came to the island not by accident. It was to save me. I had a really horrible disease running through my body at the time from the previous island. I forget the name, but it was life-threatening."

The entire time she spoke, her voice was shaking. The thought of the disease made her shiver. She remembered how painful and how awful it felt to not be able to breathe properly. But, she continued on.

"I was lying in a bed. I remember being barely conscience during the entire time. But I could hear Luffy's voice, his stupid and loud voice ringing inside me. He kept assuring everyone around him that he would carry me up a mountain in order to get to Doctor Kureha, a friend of Chopper's and a lifesaver."

"Chopper did mention her once to me," said Robin softly. Nami nodded.

"Yes, he was going to carry me all the way through a blizzard to get to this doctor. I rode on his back all the way up to the top of the mountain. It had to be a miles high."

"He actually managed to do so?" asked Robin. Nami nodded again.

"He sure did. Even carried Sanji-kun at the same time. His body was covered in frostbite and blood but he actually managed to save me," she said, looking up at the ceiling. For some reason, she found herself smiling. It made Robin smile as well.

"He's quite unpredictable, isn't he?" she asked. Nami giggled.

"He sure is. A real pain in the ass, but he really comes through whenever we need him."

Nami touched where her tattoo was. She began to caress it. Robin noticed.

"By the way, I've always wanted to ask this, but when did you get that tattoo?"

Nami glanced at the tattoo and smiled. "This? It wasn't always this design. In fact, long ago it used to be Arlong's mark."

"The Fishman?" inquired Robin. Nami nodded slowly.

"Yeah, him. I got so upset at one time and started to stab the mark with a knife. I just couldn't bear to deal with it anymore. I was so angry."

Nami lowered her eyes to the sheets and gripped them. Robin stayed quiet until she resumed.

"But then…Luffy stopped me from hurting myself. I was so angry that I wanted to cut my entire arm off just to get rid of that disgusting mark…but Luffy…he saved me that time as well…"

Her voice trailed off as she looked towards the door. She was washed back to that time, when Luffy stood behind her and told her that she was his friend and nothing, not even Arlong, could stop him from saving her and the village. Luffy was always willing to put his life for his crew, always willing to show that he cared with actions rather than words. He had saved all of their lives and never asked anything in return other than for them to be his crewmate. How he was always there for her whenever she really needed him really made him her special hero.

"He's an amazing character," Robin said softly, bringing back her attention.

"Yes…yes he is," Nami agreed softly. She smiled.

"It's been so long with him, hasn't it?"

Robin watched as Nami pulled her legs in towards her chest.

"I was one of the first crewmembers to ever meet Luffy. In fact, we first met when his boat crashed near my boat," Nami recalled. Her heart began to beat a little faster.

"He was with a little chubby boy and his boat landed into the sea from the sky. It caused a huge splash. I was irritated as ever but when we made eye contact…I couldn't move my body," she continued. Robin raised her eyebrow a little.

"Why was that?" she asked. Nami shrugged her shoulders but laughed.

"I guess because I wasn't expecting some guy to fall from the sky," she said, chuckling. "But, Luffy always had that little extra charm. His goofy smile is always a sight."

"You really enjoy him, don't you?" asked Robin, changing the conversation entirely with a wide grin. Nami's face turned pink.

"W-What? What do you mean by that?!" she exclaimed. Her voice was back to shaky. Robin suppressed a giggle.

"I mean, you think highly of him?"

Nami's face continued to darken. "W-Well, I mean I respect him as a Captain and as a crewmate, but I don't find any attraction towards that monkey! He's a little too dorky for my taste!"

Robin's brow narrowed in curiosity. "Oh, I never said anything about liking the Captain. But if you really do, I don't see any problem…"

"No way!" shouted Nami, her cheeks entirely red. "I-I don't like him like that! I respect him and that's it!"

Robin nodded but wasn't so convinced. "Something is bothering him though. Last night, he was acting different."

Nami rested her chin on her knees. "Huh?"

"He seemed kind of sad. I think he needs to talk to you," she commented, looking directly into Nami's eyes. "He called your name out loud while talking to himself. He's in a real pinch."

What could Luffy possibly want with her? Something was bothering him?

"Last night, huh?" Nami asked. Robin nodded. Flashes of the previous night filled her mind.

"Last night…" she repeated, her teeth beginning to close tight.

"That's correct," said Robin.

"Last night!" she yelled through her teeth.

Robin stepped back. "Nami?"

"Last night, that monkey and that pervert cook were spying on me when I was taking a shower!"

Robin's mouth slowly opened, though she was hardly shocked. She was actually quite intrigued. Luffy spying on Nami while she was showering? How interesting…

"That's twice now!" Nami continued to shout. She was beginning to think maybe Luffy was turning into a pervert. Either that, or maybe he was experiencing raging hormones. Or maybe…just maybe…he and Sanji were up to something…maybe the two were doing peeping sessions without her knowing even before she caught them that night. She felt incredibly angry, but also saddened that Luffy would ever do something like that. It was wrong.

Robin finished dressing into something more presentable and smiled at Nami. The orange-haired girl was still fuming and she didn't look stable.

"Why not talk to Luffy and see why he was spying on you?" she suggested. Nami shook her head.

"I'm not asking him anything! Until that monkey apologizes, I'm not talking to him!"

Robin nodded and walked outside. Nami grumbled to herself, still trying to figure out why Luffy was in the shower room.

When she stepped outside, Robin immediately noticed a sleeping Luffy snoring away on a sleeping cook. Luffy had his arm around Sanji's waist, while the cook's arm was resting on top of Luffy. They looked like a cute couple.

Robin giggled to herself and walked towards the kitchen, not even bothering to wake them up. The sound of footsteps followed quickly after she had closed the door.

"Boy, I had the best night sleep," yawned Usopp, who began to scratch his butt.

"I'm hungry," complained Zoro, adjusting the belt on his jeans.

"Sanji will make us something good," promised Chopper, skipping up and down.

"He better," warned Zoro, "Or I'll slice up those eyebrows."

"Where is he anyway? And Luffy?" asked Franky, clicking the buttons on his forearms.

"Oh my," said Brook, taking a sip of tea.

"What's wrong, Brook?" asked Chopper, moving his eyes in Brook's direction.

Zoro's jaw dropped.

Franky fell on his backside.

Usopp choked on his own saliva.

Chopper's eyes bulged.

All of them were now staring at both their cook and their captain, sleeping arm in arm with each other. Luffy's drool was getting all over Sanji's hand. The cook yawned and smacked his lips together.

"You feel so good," he whispered subconsciously as he stroked Luffy's cheek. Luffy began to snicker.

"Ahh…feels so good!" he exclaimed, sleep talking.

"Is…is this a bad dream?" whispered Usopp, hands trembling.

Zoro's brows furrowed and his body began to shake.

"So this…this is romance!?" shouted Franky.

"Luffy and Sanji!?" cried Chopper.

"Ah, Luffy-san. Sanji-san," said Brook silently.

Zoro's veins were now visible throughout his entire body. His teeth were clenched so fiercely that he could taste his own blood. He marched over to the two, steam rising from his head.

"Hey, Zoro! What are you doing?" snapped Usopp.

Without answering him, Zoro stomped his foot down and shouted with all his might.

"RISE AND SHINE YOU SICK BASTARDS!"

"W-What?!" cried Sanji, lifting his head slightly off the ground. Luffy stirred but didn't come to.

"I knew it. I knew it all along. The whole time…you never liked women at all! You really had the hots for Luffy! You sickos! Agh!"

Franky had to calm Zoro down before he could kick both of them in their faces. Sanji, still dazed, looked slowly at the sleeping Luffy next to him. He had a silly grin on his face and his arms were wrapped around his waist, drool pooling all over his hand and onto the grassy deck. Sanji blinked a couple of times.

"L-Luffy…?"

He shook his head.

"Nami-san…no…oh…my…"

Sanji's eye darted from Luffy's arm to his smile and then the drool. Reality kicked in.

"LUFFY GET THE HELL OFF ME!"

Sanji quickly yanked away from Luffy and kicked him with all his power. Luffy went sailing into the sky. He began to scream loudly as he fell right into the sea below.

"Gross, gross!" shouted Sanji, hastily wiping his hand on his pants.

"All this time…" whispered Chopper.

Sanji looked at the surrounding audience.

"What the hell do you all want?!" he snapped.

"Romance," whispered Franky.

"You sick bastard," scoffed Zoro.

"So cute," said Brook.

"It's not what you think!" yelled Sanji, flailing his arms around. He suddenly remembered something…

"Oh shit! Luffy!"

Sanji quickly pushed the group aside and jumped into the sea, swimming around for Luffy.

"His heart is full of passion!" cried Franky, clapping his massive hands and tears running down his face.

Zoro punched his massive arm. "Shut up! This is so freaking nasty! That cook was gay for Luffy and we never knew until now! I bet they do this crap all night!"

"It sure is different," noted Usopp. "But if they like each other…well…they better do it somewhere where I'm not around."

"So cute!" exclaimed Brook.

"Shut up!" yelled Zoro.

Sanji located Luffy's paralyzed body and lifted him out of the ocean and back on the ship, hat included.

"He's not breathing!" yelled Sanji, pushing down on Luffy's scarred chest.

"Why not give him mouth to mouth?" suggested Chopper, chewing on cotton candy.

"No way!" he retorted. "You're the doctor, so help him out!"

Chopper continued chewing.

"Mouth to mouth!?" yelled Franky. "This is…this is real romance!"

"I said shut it!" barked Zoro, walking over to Luffy and placing a foot on his chest. He pressed hard, causing Luffy to sputter up water.

"He's alright!" exclaimed Sanji.

"It's true love!" cried Franky, wiping away another set of tears.

Sanji helped Luffy to his feet before kicking him across the deck.

"SANJI, STOP KICKING ME!" he demanded angrily.

Sanji pulled out his drenched lighter and tried to light a cigarette with no luck. He put it back in his pocket and glared at Luffy.

"What the hell were you doing, laying on me with your arms all over my body!" he screamed.

Luffy dusted himself off and gave Sanji a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?!"

Sanji was about to land another kick at Luffy but Zoro stopped them both.

"We don't need to listen to you two argue like a married couple! As gross as it is cook, we need you to make some grub. So get to it!"

Sanji pushed Zoro away from him causing the two to argue.

"Luffy-san and Sanji-san," repeated Brook.

"So weird," whispered Usopp.

"It must be true love!" exclaimed Franky.

"What's with all the noise?" asked Nami who was now clothed in a very revealing and flashy blue skirt and top that complimented her hair.

Sanji immediately stopped yelling at Zoro to greet the pretty sight in front of him.

"Aye, Nami-swan! You look extra gorgeous today!" he exclaimed happily.

Nami gave Sanji an irritated look, still angry at him from the previous night. "Why are you all wet?"

Zoro clicked his tongue. "Don't be trying to hide it anymore, Ero-brows. How will Luffy feel?"

Sanji and Zoro started to fight again. Nami was left confused.

"Luffy, what about him?" she asked, her eyes moving towards the boy. Luffy blankly stared at Nami. She noticed he was soaked as well.

Usopp shook his head. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

Nami wanted to know, but because she was still upset with Luffy and promised not to talk to him until he apologized, she decided to brush it off as another stupid explanation.

"Fine. Sanji-kun! Isn't it time for breakfast?" she inquired. Sanji again stopped arguing with hearts in his eyes.

"Yes, Nami-swan! Right away!"

Sanji quickly rushed to the kitchen and greeted Robin with the same cheerful tone. Nami slapped her face and started off towards the kitchen. However, Luffy stopped her.

"Hey, Nami! Are you feeling better?" he asked with an innocent smile on his face. It was a little too innocent for Nami's liking. The rest of the crew stood frozen with perplexed thoughts.

"Hmph!" she murmured loudly and walked right past him. Luffy turned around to watch her strut away to the kitchen.

"She's still mad," he grumbled as his eyes wandered to the ground. Usopp looked at Luffy and then watched as Nami opened and slammed the door.

"What's with her?" he asked Luffy.

"Nothing," he replied simply and walked to the kitchen. His tone was dull and plain, just like it was at the restaurant.

"Oh great," Usopp mumbled. "He's depressed again."

"Whatever, let's just eat!" groaned Zoro. "We need to take our minds off all this crap."

The crew assembled together inside the kitchen, and patiently waited as Sanji prepared the food.

No one talked during the entire meal. Nami and Sanji both glanced at Luffy from time to time, who instead of wolfing down his food, plucked up pieces of fruit and slowly placed them in his mouth, chewing plainly. Sanji, like the rest of the males, was still concerned over finding himself intertwined with Luffy. Nami was not at all happy with the previous night. She did, however, think back to her dream of him and other moments of his heroics. It was those thoughts that kept her from feeling completely angry at him. Robin had the same thoughtful smile across her lips as she watched Luffy and Nami throughout breakfast.

After the meal was finished, Sanji cleared the table and began to wash dishes. Zoro announced that he was going to lift weights while the rest of the crew got busy with what they usually did. That is, except for Nami, who now had a cheerful smile on her face.

"I'm going to meet up with Naku and his crew," she announced to everyone outside. Everyone simply nodded except for Luffy, who frowned. He trudged off to the men's quarters. Robin watched him go.

Sanji didn't hear her announcement because he was still in the kitchen, so there wasn't any arguments or crying. Nami gathered some personal belongings and climbed down the ship to meet with Naku's crew at their ship.

When she was finally out of sight, Robin walked to the men's quarters and knocked on the door. There was no response, so Robin turned the handle and walked in. She found Luffy sitting on the floor with his arms crossed and the brim of his hat covering his face.

"Luffy?" she asked quietly, switching on the light.

"Turn it off," he ordered, not looking up.

Robin obeyed and clicked the light off, but instead of leaving, she took a seat right next to him on the floor and pulled her legs towards her chest. They didn't speak.

Robin used one of her Devil Fruit hands to close the door as she continued to smile to herself. She was right to do so because it caused Luffy to speak.

"I tried to talk to her, you know," he said, keeping his head down and his eyes at the ground. "She doesn't want to talk to me."

Robin nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. "She's upset because of last night."

Luffy looked up at Robin and blinked at her. "Last night? I just wanted to hear her sing! I swear!"

Robin again nodded. She believed him. "Why don't we go shopping? It'll take your mind off a few things."

Luffy pondered the offer for a moment. "Where's Nami?"

"She went to meet up with Naku and his crew. I thought you heard her?"

"Oh," he sadly replied. He had hoped that maybe she changed her mind. He looked at the door and frowned.

Robin placed her hand back on Luffy's shoulder. "Just focus on having fun today. When she comes back, you can apologize to her."

Luffy nodded in agreement. "Okay!"

The two walked back outside.

"Robin-chan!" hummed Sanji, swirling around with some cake and tea in his hands. He gave them to Robin who thanked him.

"Don't you want to make a love cake for Luffy?" mocked Zoro who eyed the cook from above the deck. He was lifting weights.

"Don't be stupid, you Green-haired Moss Shit. Cake's in the back if he wants any."

The two argued again but Luffy didn't want any cake. Robin finished her snack and placed the dishes on a table.

"You ready?" she asked Luffy. He nodded.

"Yup!"

They climbed down the ladder and walked into town, leaving everyone else to their schedules.

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Their first stop was a library where Robin and Luffy explored some of the history of Romancia. Robin tried explaining to him about the island, but he was left bored and confused. They toured the sword shop and then watched a play in a theatre about two lovers. Luffy was actually captured by the play.

"I love you, Maurice," cooed the young woman who was wrapped in the man's arms. Her green eyes were shimmering in the spot light. Her lips were sparkling. She had a warm smile across her face. He pulled her even closer to him, moving his hand towards the small of her back.

"I love you too, Anabella," replied Maurice. With their eyes filled with tears and wonder, they moved in closer for a lengthy kiss. The crowd clapped their hands and whistled. Luffy's jaw dropped.

"What was that they just did?!" exclaimed Luffy, tugging on Robin's arm.

"Hm?" she said, turning to him. He had sweat across his forehead and his hands were shaking.

"The thing!" he cried. "What was that?!"

Robin looked back at the two lovers, their lips still pressed together. She smiled at Luffy.

"It's a kiss. People kiss when they love each other. That's what this play is about, love."

Luffy let go of her arm and turned back to the show. Maurice and Anabella were done kissing, but they were still wrapped in a warm embrace.

"Kiss…love," he repeated out loud. Robin was amused. Luffy didn't know what a kiss was.

When the play finished, Luffy and Robin exited the theatre. She could tell he was still thinking about the kiss because he kept touching his lips with his fingers.

"Where to next, Captain?" she asked. Luffy quickly put his hand at his side and looked at the different shops across from where they were standing. He noticed the Glassware Express.

"Can we go back in there?" he asked.

Robin stared at the Glassware Express and smiled. "Sure."

The store was still as beautiful as she remembered. Luffy was also admiring everything inside again, and walked over to the glass art that was displayed. He began to pick up and examine the different glass vases. Robin called Luffy over to the set of Log Poses Nami looked at the first time they arrived at the store.

"What is it, Robin?" he asked as he looked over at the different Log Poses. They all had the signature three needles with contrasting designs. His eyes caught sight of a pure gold Log Pose with a tangerine painted on it. Robin was looking at the very same Log Pose.

"That's the one Nami was looking at!" he exclaimed. The store clerk watched the two carefully. After all, the Log Pose was a million berries.

"Indeed," she replied. Robin examined the arm piece and noted how the band stretched. It was quite light and felt good on her wrist. She smiled at Luffy.

"Nami was really looking at this Log Pose," she said, looking at Luffy in the eye. He grinned.

"Yeah! She needs a new Log Pose anyway because I broke the one that fish guy gave her."

Robin nodded and placed the Log Pose back on the stand. She gave Luffy a wink.

"Why don't you buy this one for her? It would make a great Christmas present."

Luffy put a finger to his chin and hummed in thought. It would definitely make a fantastic Christmas present, but it was a million berries! How would he ever afford it?

"Well, I mean it looks really awesome but it's too expensive. I'm better off getting a cheaper one."

Luffy really wanted to get that one for Nami, but how could he? At most, he only had about three hundred berries in savings but that wouldn't get him far. The store clerk cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Sorry for listening to your conversation, but here's an idea. Our town has made a lot of profit in the last year from the tourism we've received and so we have a lot of extra cash to spare," he began. Robin and Luffy nodded.

"It's really good you guys came today because in just two days, Romancia will be having a dance off. The prize money is just what you need for this Log Pose. It's a million berries in cash."

Luffy's eyes widened. Robin grinned. She was liking where this was going.

"A dance off?" she asked, crossing her arms. "Sounds interesting."

The store clerk nodded. "It's not that easy though. I heard that the competition is only letting twenty couples enter. You'd better hurry off to the sign-in center which is actually right next to this building."

Luffy nodded faster. "Okay then, let's go Robin! We better hurry before it's too late!"

Robin had something else to ask. "How does the competition work? Are there knockout rounds and such?"

The clerk nodded. "Yes, exactly so. There are three judges who decide which couples go through. There are many stages and then a final round between the last five couples."

Robin's smile grew wider as Luffy tugged on her arm.

"So you need a partner to enter?" she asked.

"That is correct. It doesn't matter if it's guy-girl or girl-girl or vice versa, all you need is another partner."

Luffy pulled on Robin's hand, urging her to hurry.

"Thank you for the information. It was a real help," she said to the clerk. He grinned at her.

"No problem, ma'am. Sitting here all day allowed me to find out about the tournament. It's been quite secretive actually. Oh I almost forgot to tell you," he said, pointing to the golden Log Pose. "I know this is a lot of money, but someone had already bought one of these. This is the last one in existence."

Luffy's jaw dropped down. "Last one?! Ever?!"

"Yes, unfortunately. The artist had passed away and no one can replicate this style. Also, I can't keep this item on hold. If someone else has the money and wants to buy it, then I will be forced to sell it."

Luffy glared at him angrily. "Well, that's not nice!"

Robin held Luffy's shoulder. "It makes sense. Customer service and it is his job. We'll have to hurry then."

Robin thanked the clerk and joined Luffy outside.

"So we gotta sign up, huh?" he remarked, looking around for the store.

"It's right over there," said Robin, showing Luffy the building to the right.

Luffy beamed. "Let's go!"

But before he could bound off, a young woman ran right into him.

"Ouch!" both exclaimed as Luffy and the girl crumbled to the ground. Robin remained silent and observed her. She looked to be about Luffy's age, with long black hair tied in a ponytail. She was wearing a sparkling red dress and had matching red heels. She looked like she was going to a formal event.

"I'm so sorry," the girl moaned, looking at Luffy. He continued to rub his head where they collided. The girl found herself looking at Luffy in depth.

"He's cute," she whispered to herself, although Robin could hear her. The girl helped Luffy to his feet.

"I'm really sorry for knocking you down. It's just, I'm in a bit of a hurry," she panted, looking at the sign-in center. "I gotta sign up for the dancing contest. But I need a partner, so I dressed up fancy thinking some guy would notice me."

Luffy stopped rubbing his head and grinned. "We were just going to sign up! There are only twenty spots after all."

The girl nodded. "That's right. Are you guys a couple?" she asked, pointing to Robin and then him. Before Luffy could answer, Robin had actually conjured a brilliant idea and now wanted to explain it. The girl helped her organize it.

"No, we aren't," Robin replied. Luffy looked at her with disbelief.

"What do you mean, Robin?! I thought we were going to dance together?!" he shouted.

Robin giggled and looked at the girl. "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name."

The girl smiled and introduced herself. "The name's Lucille. I'm a resident of Romancia."

Robin returned her smile with a warm one. "I'm Nico Robin. And this is Monkey D. Luffy."

Lucille's jaw fell. "M-Monkey D. Luffy?! The pirate?!"

Luffy nodded and grinned. "Sure am! But we aren't bad pirates."

Lucille looked at Luffy and then at Robin. She slapped her hand on her thigh.

"Now I remember! Yes, someone made an announcement yesterday about the Straw Hat Pirates and the Lucky Pirates being here on guard duty. I've never met real pirates before! And you guys are famous!"

Luffy laughed and pumped his fist in the air. "That's right!" Then, he gasped.

"This is no time for relaxing! We need to get signed up for the dancing thing!" he cried.

Lucille began to panic. Robin remained calm and decided to reveal her plan.

"Luffy," she said, pulling in his attention. "Lucille is in need of a partner. Why don't you be her partner?"

Luffy looked at Robin and then Lucille. "But Robin, I thought you and I were going to do this thing," he said, looking at Robin confused. She giggled.

"Well," she said. "We can broaden our chances of winning if we split up."

Lucille thought about it. "I do need a partner. But if we win, we have to split the money," she instructed Luffy. He wasn't liking the idea now.

"Split?! I can't do that. I need all of the one million," he moaned. Lucille stomped her foot.

"No way! This whole thing is a couple's dance, so we have to split the winnings," she remarked. "If you don't want to split, then I won't be your partner."

Lucille thought she had won, but Luffy turned to Robin. "Guess I'm with you, Robin."

Lucille was shocked. "Common! You don't really need all that money, do you?"

Luffy nodded his head. "Yeah, I need all of it. I want to buy a Log Pose that costs one million berries."

Lucille raised her eyebrows. "One million? Geez, just get a cheaper one."

He wasn't about to give into her. "No. I want this one. And I'm going to win that prize money whether you help me or not."

Lucille wasn't liking his attitude. But she had to admit, she was finding somewhat respect for him. He seemed very determined for the prize money. His face showed how much he wanted it. She sighed.

"Okay, fine. If we win together, then you can have _all _the prize money," she said.

Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Really?!"

She held up a hand, unfinished. "But, if I do that, then you have to take me to the Christmas Romancia Festival."

Luffy cocked his head. "Say what?"

Lucille grinned. "The Christmas Romancia Festival is this big event that happens on Christmas Day. It starts in the evening and runs at night with fireworks and a big feast."

Luffy pounded his open palm. "Oh yeah, we heard about that. Okay, it's a deal, I'll eat with you."

She held up her hand again. Luffy listened. "That's not all. There's also a huge ball at the Concert Hall. You have to escort me and take me to the ball. Is it a deal?" she said.

Luffy pouted, unsure. He had never been to a ball before. But he loved dancing and didn't see it as any problem. So he agreed.

"Sure, I'll do it! Sounds like a deal, I'll be your dance partner and your ball partner if we win."

Lucille jumped in delight, throwing her arms in the air. She always dreamed of dancing with a cute boy. Luffy was actually pretty attractive, and she wasn't going to lose this opportunity. They had to win the dance. But Luffy was concerned about Robin.

"So who are you going with?" he asked Robin who was quietly reading a newspaper. She smiled at him.

"He's not here right now, so I'm going to go get him," she replied. Luffy raised an eyebrow. Robin tucked the newspaper back in her jacket.

"You two go ahead and sign up. If you're the last ones to sign up, then I wish you the best of luck," she said. Luffy nodded slowly, still confused on who Robin was talking about.

With that, Robin raced off in the direction where their ship was located.

"I wonder who her partner will be," he whispered to Lucille. She grinned and grabbed Luffy's arm.

"Well, she seems to have it under control. But, there's no time to waste, we gotta go sign up!" she exclaimed happily. Luffy didn't like her clinging onto his arm, but they were in a hurry.

She pulled Luffy into the sign-in center. The building was completely empty except for a young man sitting at a desk. He glanced at them walking in and then flipped through a stack of papers.

"Here for the Dance Prance Revolution?" he asked, smiling. Luffy looked at Lucille.

"Dance _Prance _Revolution? What a weird name," he commented. Lucille was all smiles. All she could think about was winning and going with Luffy to the ball. Every year up until now, she had never gone to the formal ball hosted during the Christmas Romancia Festival and now had an opportunity.

"It is the name of the competition," said the man. "You two are lucky. We only have just two spots left."

Luffy's mouth curled into a grin. "What a relief! That means Robin can enter too!"

Luffy and Lucille signed some papers and read the rules of the competition. There was nothing complicating about the rules, in fact, they were simple enough. There would be forty contestants total, of course, split into couples for a total of twenty dance teams. Each dance could only be five minutes each or less. However, the longer the dance, the better. Going over five minutes would be an automatic disqualification, so the judges would time the contestants. That would be the hard part. The first round would see fifteen go through and five eliminated. The second round would see ten teams go through and an additional five eliminated. The same process would be for the third round with five going through and five eliminated. The fourth and final round would be a showdown between the last five teams, and it would be then that the judges pick the ultimate winner. The first three rounds would happen all in just one day.

"So the final round is basically the same as the other three rounds?" asked Lucille.

The man nodded. "Pretty much, although the final dance between the couple will be decided by the judges. They will tell you what dance you are to do, and you have an additional day to prepare for it with your partner."

Lucille turned to Luffy. "Sounds pretty straightforward, huh?"

Luffy grinned. "Of course! Sounds like fun!"

After finishing the papers, the two decided to stick close to the sign-in center in order for Robin to successfully sign up with her mysterious partner. She was taking a while though.

"I hope she knows what she's doing," murmured Luffy, puckering his lips at the direction she ran off to. Lucille patted his shoulder.

"She did say that if all else fails, then it's all on us. So don't worry so much about it."

A thought crossed her mind. "Say, Luffy, what happens if Robin wins? Will she give you the money?"

Luffy grinned wildly. "Yup! That's the plan. I'm trying to win the prize money for a certain Log Pose."

She nodded. "Yeah, you mentioned that. Are you a navigator?"

Luffy chuckled. "Nah, I can't do navigation. But one of my crewmates can, and I really want to get this for her."

She smiled at him. "That's really sweet of you."

Luffy laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I guess. But I broke her other one and now, I really wanna get this one for her. It really would look great on her!"

Lucille noticed how he held his chest the entire time he told her this. She could tell he really cared about this girl.

"So…is this girl, is she really special? I mean, to you?"

Luffy looked at Lucille with a questionable stare but then grinned. "Of course! Nami means a lot to me! All of my crewmates are the best!"

Lucille didn't want to go all into his business, but she wanted to know more about this Nami. By the way things looked, Luffy was really passionate about her.

"Do you like her? Like…love her?"

She suddenly wanted to retract that question because it felt weird and she didn't want to sound jealous. She was only curious. And slightly jealous.

"I…I guess I do? What do you mean?" he asked. He was thinking back to the play he and Robin watched. The man clearly loved the woman, and he showed his love for her by kissing her. Did Luffy want to kiss Nami? He was now deep in thought.

"Well, I…" she began but then took Luffy's arm. A smile emerged from her lips.

"What are you doing?" he asked, uncomfortable by her sudden hold.

"Let's go back to my place! We have to practice! There's no time to waste!" she exclaimed. Luffy laughed and raised a fist.

"Yeah! Let's go!"

"Phew," she mumbled under her breath. She was glad she was able to take his attention away from the subject. But this Nami person…how important was this girl to him? And would this dance be all for nothing in the end? He obviously wanted to win for her, but was it for _her _or was it solely because he owed her a new Log Pose? If that was the case, he could buy any of the cheaper ones. But he really wanted to buy a million berry one. Obviously, she was _that _important to him.

'_I can't wait to meet this girl!' _

Lucille and Luffy raced off, ready more than anything to win the Dance Prance Revolution!

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Robin was back on the Thousand Sunny, and she immediately noticed that everyone had left the ship. However, it seemed a bit suspicious because usually someone, like Zoro, would be left to guard it. While she walked around the deck, she was not surprised to see him snoring away on the railing. His swords were laid next to him. She smiled.

"Zoro?" she said, loud enough for him to hear. He stirred before opening his eye.

"H-Huh?" he grumbled. He didn't like being woken up during a nap. He turned his head to meet Robin. She waved at him.

"Why are you here? I thought you left like the rest of the crew?"

Robin turned around and then back at Zoro. "I did, but I have a favor to ask."

He jumped down from the upper deck and landed in front of her. He was covered in some sweat from his workout and was missing his shirt. She didn't mind though.

"What favor?" he asked, not feeling in the mood to do anything. Workouts always seemed to leave him fatigued.

"How should I begin? Actually, how does one million berries sound?" she asked considerately in her sweetest voice. Zoro's eye bulged.

"Sounds pretty damn good to me! Why, do you want to give me some?"

Robin giggled and shook her head. "Not yet. But what if there was a competition that involved winning a million berries? Would you be interested?"

Zoro grinned and crossed his arms. "Of course! I'll take down anyone in my way! What's the competition? I'm ready!"

Robin put a finger to her chin. "It's a dancing tournament for couples. I would like you to be my partner," she said calmly.

"Hell yeah! I'm ready! Let's go! No one will, wait, did you say, dancing?!"

Zoro took a step back as his brows furrowed. "Hell no! Why would I ever go dancing? That's absolutely ridiculous!"

"Not even for a million berries?"

"Not even in a million years!"

Zoro stomped back to the upper railing as he put his shirt back on. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. It bothered him a lot.

"I…I owe you…don't I?" he asked. His breathing sounded harsh and nervous. Robin giggled.

"Yes, in fact you do. For giving you my spare clothes when you lost all yours in the jungle island. I do believe you promised you'd repay me with _anything _I desired, since you had no money."

Zoro grit his teeth and clenched his fists. "Dammit! That's right!"

He slapped his face. "Why the hell did I train naked? Oh yeah, because it was freaking hot."

Robin laughed softly. "So, Mr. Swordsman, are you in?"

He threw his hands in the air and groaned but nodded his head. "Yeah. Fine. But it's only because I owe a debt. I hate dancing."

Robin smiled victoriously. "It's okay. We need to hurry and sign up before it's too late. I'll explain the details on the way."

Zoro continued to grumble but grabbed his swords and followed Robin back down the ladder. When they reached the ground, Robin touched Zoro's arm. He flinched.

"W-What?" he stammered. Robin had a cutesy smile plastered on her face.

"I just want to thank you. This means a lot. I mean, I _really _want you to know how much this means to me."

Zoro's face began to flush but he quickly turned away. "It's fine! Let's just go!"

Robin giggled as the two walked awkwardly to the sign-in center.

'_If that shitty cook sees me dancing, it'll be the end of me!' _

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**And so, it begins! Dance Prance Revolution…yeah. Please don't judge. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

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"You've got a pretty big house!" Luffy exclaimed. He and Lucille finally arrived at her house. It had taken quite a while to get there because she lived in a forest, far away from the bustling area in town with all the shops. Now that they were inside, he began to observe every inch, looking at every detail as if it were his job. Lucille's house was just as Luffy described it, big. There were multiple paintings all across the walls and furniture splayed around the living room. One photo was bigger than the rest of them, a large portrait of Lucille's family which consisted of her and her parents. It didn't look like she had any other siblings.

"I get that a lot," she replied, pouring herself a glass of water. She offered him a cup.

"Nah, but do you got any food? That would be great, I'm starved!"

Lucille gulped down the water and walked towards the fridge but stopped short. "I forgot," she said, looking over at her sink. "I finished the rest of the pasta I made last night. But I'll cook up some beef soup if you'd like."

Luffy cheered and sat on a stool, watching Lucille organize her pots and bowls on the kitchen counter. Then, she stopped again.

"Goodness, I better change my clothes. Don't want to get this thing all dirtied up."

She was still wearing the red dress and matching heels from earlier that day. Luffy didn't see any problem, but she excused herself and quickly walked upstairs. Instead of sitting patiently, Luffy stood up and walked towards the big portrait of her and her family. He noticed that none of them were smiling in the photograph.

'_I wonder if she feels alone.' _

He tapped his chin and continued to snoop around. Everything, from the wooden clocks to the marble floors seemed to be pretty expensive, and he could tell she was quite rich. He noticed a small gold statue of a warrior holding a sharp sword. The statue gave Luffy a shiver down his spine.

'_So awesome!' _

"Pretty cool, huh?" came a voice behind him.

Luffy quickly turned around to see a smiling Lucille in a much more comfortable attire. She was now wearing a red t-shirt and blue jean shorts with walking shoes. Her outfit mirrored Luffy's.

"You look just like me!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger at her shirt. Amused, Lucille tugged on her shirt lightly and examined her clothes. She smiled.

"I guess I do. I'm a big fan of the color red."

Luffy grinned and held the sides of his cardigan. "Me too!"

She smiled at how cheerful he was, but found it quite special that they both shared the same favorite color, even if it was by mere coincidence. Actually, now that she began to think about it, she and he shared a lot of things in common, including the black hair and the same color skin tone. They also shared the same personality. Looking at Luffy from head to toe, she finally noticed his bare chest and the X shaped scar that covered it. He was quite muscular for being such a skinny boy. She was staring a bit too long.

Luffy tilted his head and crossed his arms. "Are you okay?"

Lucille snapped from her gaze and chuckled, brushing the back of her head. She no longer had her hair in a ponytail. It fell behind her and when he thought about it, it looked to be the same length as Nami's. In fact, to Luffy, Lucille kind of reminded him of Nami. It made him feel a lot happier to be around her.

"Yes, I'm okay," she said and walked over to the kitchen counter. "So, do you like the house? Pretty neat, right?"

Luffy nodded and sat back down on the stool. He clapped his feet together as Lucille spread out the pots and bowls. She opened her fridge and rummaged through her food supply. Luffy shuffled his attention towards the open fridge with drool exiting his mouth.

"Beef, beef, beef," she murmured to herself as she continued her search. A victorious chirp signified that she had found it.

"So, Luffy," she said, pulling out the beef and placing it on the counter. His eyes sparkled yellow beams.

"While we wait for the food to cook, we can decide what dances we want to do. For the tournament, right?"

Luffy nodded but wasn't really paying attention with the aroma of beef filling his nostrils.

"We get to choose the first three dances. And they gotta be less than five minutes each. So we have to be pretty selective with what we choose, agree?"

Luffy nodded. "Of course!"

She turned on the stove behind her and went back to the fridge for the ingredients. She shuffled through some spices before pulling out some vegetables. Luffy's eyes sparkled.

Lucille giggled. "You sure are hungry, aren't you?"

Luffy nodded hastily and began bouncing on his seat. She shook her head and smiled, then walked over to a washstand and picked up a catalogue. She gave it to Luffy.

"What's this?" he asked, scanning over the cover. In bold print read, "Romancia" with a picture of the town's buildings covering the front page.

"It's our town of course. You should read that. You'll learn a lot from it," she replied. She knew cooking would be a while, so she didn't want him to get bored. She was happy to see him grin and flip open the magazine. He seemed fascinated enough and 'Oooed' and 'Aahed' at each page. However, she noticed that he wasn't reading any of the words, just looking at the different pictures.

"Isn't our town amazing?" she beamed, washing down the vegetables and filling the pot with water. Luffy slapped his thigh.

"Definitely!" he exclaimed, as he let his eyes wander around. "You guys sure have a lot of different stuff here! Whoa, you guys have a water park? That's so totally cool!"

She smiled at him and nodded. "That's not all, along with the main attractions you saw in town like the Glassware Express, we also have a hiking trail, theater, shopping malls, restaurants, ballroom…"

Lucille found her voice trail off after saying that. She had actually forgotten what would happen if the two of them won the dance competition.

'_That's right! If we win, then he's gonna take me to the ball on Christmas! I'm going to dance with the pirate, Monkey D. Luffy!' _

Lucille clutched the spoon in her hand and spun around in circles, singing aloud. Luffy nearly fell off the stool, completely baffled by her sudden switch in character. He ended up dropping the catalogue on the floor before picking it up and placing it on the nearby table.

"Uh, are you alright?" he choked, watching as she threw her hands in the air and pranced around the kitchen counter, mixing the various spices together in a bowl at the same time. Her eyes suddenly landed at Luffy's.

"O-Oh! S-Sorry!" she gasped as she quickly put the bowl back down on the counter. Luffy started to laugh. Her face darkened, but she giggled with him. She couldn't help it. The only real reason she actually wanted to enter the tournament was to meet a really cute boy and have him take her to the Concert Hall for the annual ball. She finally managed to locate an attractive male who was willing to dance with her. She had a good vibe running through her body.

"Luffy," she said to him as she adjusted the stove and placed the pot with vegetables on it. He cocked his head.

"Mm?"

"I want to thank you for being my dance partner. I know it's not a big deal, but it means a lot to me. So thank you."

Luffy grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "Don't sweat it! After all, it should be me thanking you! Now we can broaden our chances of winning the dancing competition like Robin said."

Lucille nodded but then found herself frowning. She remembered that his only intention of winning the dance off was for the million berry Log Pose he planned to give to his navigator. And he would eventually leave her someday and continue his course around the world with this girl and maybe even fall in love with her. It was just a hunch, but it was a very reasonable one. She was so busy thinking to herself she hadn't noticed that she completely stopped preparing the soup. Luffy frowned.

"Hey, is everything okay? You look sad," he commented. Lucille blinked and shook her head.

"Sorry about that! Oh wow, I was just thinking to myself and got lost in my thoughts."

She hastily began stirring again but retained her sad expression. Luffy could still see it.

"You sure everything's cool?" he asked again. Lucille avoided his eyes and nodded. Luffy jumped up from the stool and walked over to the counter, resting his arm on it and placing his chin on his palm. Lucille glanced at him and then looked away, continuing to stir the beef in the bowl.

"What's up?" she asked nervously. Luffy shrugged his shoulders but continued to stare at her intently. She found this to be uncomfortable, but at the same time enjoyed that he had his eyes on her. She had to use all her might not to show the grin that she felt creeping up on her face. Through her peripherals she could see his silly smile and his dark eyes. He looked so adorable in that position.

"W-What?!" she exclaimed, letting out a laugh. She couldn't contain it anymore. He was just too cute for her. Luffy laughed and slapped the counter.

"You seemed down so I wanted to make sure you're okay. Seems like you're better."

She met his eyes and blushed. He had his arms crossed and his smile was still plastered across his face. The light really lit up his smile and she couldn't stop blushing. She turned away and poured the food from the bowl into the pot on the stove. After mixing the ingredients together, she took a seat at the table. Luffy joined her.

"Well," she began, "It'll be a while until the soup's done. Wanna start planning for the dance off?"

Luffy grinned. "Yeah, sounds great!"

She nodded and looked at the ceiling. "Well, we have three dances to do in one day. And each must be less than five minutes. So, we should pick three different dancing styles. That will add to the creativity."

Luffy nodded and placed his head on his palm. "Whatcha have in mind?"

Lucille scratched her head and tapped her chin. "Hm, I was thinking for the first dance we could do a freestyle routine, with both of us coming up with our own style of dancing. This will let us go free and do whatever we want."

Luffy tilted his head, unsure.

She elaborated. "It's like, we both go all out. But we can come together during the dance and work it out together."

Luffy was still confused and she could see it. She sighed. In her mind, she could visually see how it worked, but it was harder to explain with words. Then, she thought of something.

"Okay, Luffy, you like to dance, right?" she asked. Luffy showed his teeth.

"Of course!"

"For the first dance, you do what you do best. Dance your socks off and show the crowd how much you love dancing. I'll do the same. But then we'll bring it in together during the dance and work out some sort of routine. This one will be all about freestyle. It'll be better when we actually do this tomorrow. But right now, we'll focus on planning."

Luffy nodded slowly and bumped his fist in his open palm. "I don't really get it, but I got it."

Lucille shook her head and slapped her forehead. "You're a funny one, Luffy."

He grinned at her and suddenly touched her arm. She felt a jolt go through her spine but somehow managed to stay calm.

"We got this. I know that you and I are gonna win this tournament. There's no doubt that we are the best pair," he assured her.

She was blushing again. If his sudden touch was making her all jittery inside now, how would she ever be able to handle him holding her when they danced? She had to keep it together. Letting out a soft sigh, she nodded and smiled at him.

"You're right. Okay, we got the first dance covered. It may be a little risky, but it'll definitely work if both of us have fun doing it. That's the key, having fun."

Luffy grinned and chuckled. "Right!"

She gave thought about what they could do for the second dance. The first one was her choice, so maybe Luffy could provide some insight for the next one.

"Why don't you choose the second one?" she offered. Luffy grinned and chuckled menacingly. She scooted her chair back a bit, startled.

"At my village, we had this sort of dancing thing, like a ball. Everyone had their own kind of style, but I saw one dance that was so strange, but so totally cool!"

Lucille was baffled but nodded. "So…what was it?"

He chuckled again. "I have no clue."

Lucille felt like falling face first into the floor, but stopped herself. "Well, that narrows it down!" she replied. "Describe it to me."

"Okay!" he exclaimed. "Well, there was always a girl and a guy and when they danced, it was slow and mild, but they seemed to like it. They looked like they were…swinging, I guess you could call it that. But that's what they did pretty much, swinging. The only bad part was the boring music."

Lucille's eyes shot open. "No way…Luffy, you just said it! It's actually called the swing!"

"Huh?" he mumbled. "I did?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed. But then she stared at him with a blank expression.

'_How could such an energetic guy like him like such old, classical dancing? He sure is a strange one. But I like it!' _

Luffy proudly put his hands on his hips. "So, you wanna do that one then, the swinging?"

"Hmm…" she thought to herself, but she had already decided it would be a great dance to do with him. She grinned and clapped her hands. "Yeah! Sounds great! First one is freestyle, second one is the swing. Awesome!"

Luffy cheered. That left only one more dance for them to choose. Of course, there would be a fourth dance, but that was up to the judges and if they even got that far.

"Okay, then, the third dance will be my personal favorite," she said, grabbing his attention. He lowered his eyes at hers.

"Go for it," he urged.

Her dark eyes gleamed in the lit room as her smile widened the furthest it had all day.

"Our third dance will be…the cha-cha!"

Luffy again tilted his head in confusion. She giggled aloud and pumped a fist in the air. Although she never actually performed the dance in real life, she had always watched other couples do it at the Christmas Romancia Festival. It was a dance that required rhythm and elegance, but at the same time, fierceness and zest. She grinned wildly at Luffy.

"Trust me, this dance will bound to make everyone dazzled! It'll be our grand finale!"

Luffy half-smiled, again unsure. But he understood that she knew exactly what she was doing, so he didn't question it. He then found himself grinning.

"Okay! Everything is all set!"

Satisfied with their planning, Lucille hopped up to serve the beef soup which smelled deliciously ready. Luffy's mouth hung open as drool exited his gaping hole. She placed the pot on the counter and served up two bowls and two spoons and placed them on the table. Luffy didn't need any instructions as he began to dig in. Taking a seat this time across from him, she suddenly remembered something rather important.

"Luffy, do you think Robin found her dance partner and signed up?" she asked, slightly nervous. Luffy stopped scarfing down the soup for a second to answer her.

"Hmm, that's a pretty good question. I mean, we were gonna wait for them, but I'm pretty sure she signed up. Robin is very smart, so she's got it taken care of, trust me."

He finished his first helping and rushed to get more. Lucille picked at her soup, thinking to herself.

'_It'll be interesting to see who she picked." _

Smiling, she lifted a spoonful of the soup and raised it towards her lips.

'_But, at least we got all our dances set. I can't wait! Kyaa!' _

They chatted while they ate as Lucille kept her smile the entire time.

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"This is crazy! We gotta do _three _dances together! Gah!"

Zoro and Robin made it to the sign-in center. They ended up being the twentieth and final couple to enter the Dance Prance Revolution. Along with its name, Zoro hated the entire concept. He was only expecting one dance and then leave it behind in his memories after it was finished. However, now he was enraged, learning that the entire tournament was a process. With muttered grumbles, he signed the papers. Robin filled out her own set, smiling silently as she did so.

"Not exactly, Zoro. It's four if we make it to the finals," she quietly reminded him. The veins in his body pulsed so that they were clearly visible. The man in charge of the signups collected their papers and filed them in a folder. He smiled at them.

"Well, that settles that. All of the signups are complete. The tournament begins in two days. It starts at eleven sharp so be there with your three dances. Each pair will be called at random to perform so make sure that you're ready. They'll give you your couple's number at the tournament."

"Where's this thing at?" asked Zoro, still shaken over having to perform three dances. He still wasn't sure how he and Robin were going to do this.

"It takes place at the Common Grounds. There will be an announcement at ten thirty, two days from now."

Robin nodded in affirmation and took Zoro's arm. He shook her away purely from reflex. She smiled, amused that Zoro was not comfortable with her touching him. This could be difficult but at the same time, humorous.

"By the way," she asked, "Did a young boy with a straw hat sign up with a black-haired girl earlier?"

Zoro's jaw dropped.

"W-Wait a minute…are you telling me that _Luffy _entered this tournament too?!" he shouted. The man at the desk nodded.

"Why yes, a boy with a straw hat did sign up about a half hour ago. He was with another girl in uh…I think she was wearing a red dress…"

Zoro nearly toppled backwards on his butt. He couldn't believe it. Luffy was actually going to dance! With another girl! What had gotten into him!?

"You can't be serious, why the hell is Luffy entering this dance competition? Is he that desperate for money?" he barked. Robin giggled and took Zoro's shoulder. He again flinched and pulled away.

"That's exactly why. He wants to win the prize money. Just like us, right?" she cooed softly. Zoro grunted and sighed, but it sounded like something Luffy would do. After all, Luffy would never do it for the sake of dancing with another woman. That would be outrageous.

The two thanked the man and walked outside.

"Now what?" he huffed at Robin, hoping that they could go back to the ship and eat something. He was hungry again.

"Well," she said, "We should start planning what dances we want to do. And maybe, we can start practicing."

Zoro groaned. "That'll be too boring. I want to eat something at least."

Robin smiled at him. "How about we eat at one of the restaurants in town? Sanji is most likely out still, so we're probably on our own for eating."

She was probably right. It was past evening, but the rest of the crew had announced that they would be late because they wanted to go exploring. Luffy, Robin, and Nami were the only ones who didn't say that, but Nami said she was going to meet up with Naku and his crew, and Robin was with him right now. But where was Luffy?

"Fine, we'll eat somewhere out here. But where the heck is Luffy? Wasn't he with you?" he asked.

"He and I were exploring the town together, but we came across the Dance Prance Revolution and wanted to win the prize money. We met a girl along the way named Lucille, and she and Luffy became dance partners."

Zoro grunted again and looked off into the distance. "Why the hell does that idiot want a million berries for? What's he got to buy?"

Robin smiled and found herself looking at the Glassware Express. "He really wants to buy something special."

"Hm?" he mumbled, looking at the Glassware Express with her. "Does he want to buy a glass statue or something?"

Robin giggled. "Maybe. You should ask him."

Zoro wiped his face with his hand and took a deep breath. "No thanks. He can do whatever he wants. I'm just doing this because I owe you a debt. So let's go eat already and then we can figure out what to do from there. Sound good?"

Robin agreed and began to work her fingers around his hand. Zoro's eye bulged. "W-What the hell are you doing?!"

She giggled again and pulled him close to her. He tried to pry her away, but to no avail.

"We need to start getting used to touching each other. It only seems necessary because we'll have to anyway for the tournament. We can't be afraid of each other's skin."

With that, Robin pulled Zoro another inch towards her, and wrapped an arm around his muscular one. Zoro's face darkened, but he refused to show any signs of affection.

"Dammit! Fine, do as you please, but don't think for a second that I enjoy this! Because I don't!" he barked. People around him giggled and a few of the couples outside winked at him. He was starting to feel embarrassed and somewhat sick.

"Trust me, Zoro, this will all be worth it in the end," she assured him with a friendly squeeze. Zoro stiffened, but turned his head away from her and grumbled aloud.

"Whatever," he mumbled. Robin let out a muffled laugh. She just loved teasing him. He was too easy to pick on. But, she was excited to see what he could do on the dance floor. It would be only a matter of time until the two were arm in arm, dancing away on center stage. They continued looking for a restaurant and fast, so that Zoro would not explode from his anguish.

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"Thanks again for the tasty soup! You know, you're a really good chef. You're almost as good as Sanji!" exclaimed Luffy. They had finished eating a while ago and now Luffy was ready to go back to the ship. It had been quite a long day and the sun had gone down, leaving it pretty dark outside. The two were on Lucille's porch which was lit by a single light bulb.

"No problem," she replied back at him. "But my cooking is _almost_ as good as your cook? Is that right?"

Luffy started to sweat. "No, no…I mean, it's really good and all…I didn't mean that, uh…"

Lucille laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't sweat it. So tomorrow, I guess we can meet up in town. Is nine in the morning okay with you?"

He nodded and grinned at her. "Yeah, sounds great! I'll make sure to set an alarm."

He extended a hand towards her. "Again, it was really nice to meet you. I can't thank you enough. And I can't wait to get started!"

Lucille gazed at his illuminated face. With the porch light on, she could see his bright smile and warm eyes that glowed the exact same way hers did. He was indeed very similar to her, like another half, maybe even the half she'd been looking for, for so many years. He was everything she had always wanted more than anything in the entire universe. Even after such little time with him, she had come to realize that she would never meet another individual so charming and full of life. A very image that mirrored hers. To put it simply, she was in love.

Without thinking, she pulled Luffy into a hug. He still had an extended hand, but his smile changed to shock. He wasn't expecting her to pull him into an embrace. She pulled him in closely, his face next to hers as he stared blankly at the wall ahead. She wrapped her arms around his muscular neck and rested her chin in the crook of it. Closing her eyes, she inhaled his meaty scent. It strangely smelled good.

"Uh…are you okay, Lucille?" he whispered, unsure of what to do. He found that he was enjoying her warmth. She smelled sweet, like strawberries. Her hair was soft and fluffy and he liked how it felt against his cheek. At that moment, he wondered if it would feel the same way if Nami hugged him. He wished she was there. His heart was yearning to see her again.

"Luffy…thank you. Just thank you so much," she whispered in his ear. Her words tickled him but he smiled and gently pulled from her hold.

"No problem! Really, I'm thankful that you were able to help me. Now, we'll be ready to win and then I'll get Nami that Log Pose and take you to the festival! It's gonna be great!"

The word Nami made her itch inside, but she was more focused on the ball afterwards. It may be a while, but she was in need of it. She was glad he still remembered their promise.

She gently ended the hug and blushed, looking down at the ground. Luffy gave her a thumbs up before walking down the concrete steps.

"Thanks again for dinner! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Lucille waved at him and could feel her heart beating faster. Watching him go was painful, but she knew she would see him again shortly. With that, she gave him one last look before going back inside.

Luffy continued down for a while, but then, stopped. He looked back at Lucille's house and then at the path ahead. His mouth fell.

'_Oh crap, I forget how to get back into town!' _

The path led to the forest, but then it ended near a hill where he and she had to climb to get to her house. However, being Luffy, it wasn't that simple. He was as lost as Zoro walking in a straight line.

"Dammit!" he exclaimed aloud. He wanted to run up back to her house and ask for directions, but he didn't want to seem incompetent. So, he rushed downward and started to sprint along the path. Which, eventually led to a hill and to him, a dead end.

"Dang it! I should have paid more attention. Well, I better go with my gut."

Instead of simply going down the hill, he turned right and began towards the more forested area. He climbed up a steep hill and moved along the trees, lost completely. The wind began to blow harder and his straw hat flew off his head, saved only by the string sewed on by Nami. He pulled it back on and continued to walk upwards, hoping that he would find someone or something to guide him back to town.

His senses were telling him that the higher he climbed, the more likely it was to find the buildings. But the higher he climbed, the more trees he found. And the more trees he found, the more frustrated he got. Finally, he sighed and thumped on the ground.

"I'm lost. I'm totally lost."

He was about to scream for help when he heard a voice coming from behind him. It was feminine and frustrated and it sounded a lot like one of his crewmates. In fact, it sounded just like…

"Nami!" shouted Luffy, turning around and waving his hand in the air. And there she was, right in front of him, walking around like a lost dog. Her mouth fell to the ground.

"L-Luffy?! What the heck are you doing out here?!"

Although she wasn't expecting him to be in the forest, she was actually glad he was there. She had gotten lost after saying goodbye to Naku and was scared shitless.

Luffy's heart raced as he scrambled to his feet. The wind blew so strong that it caused him to rush forward too fast and he collided into Nami, knocking them both down. Luffy landed on top of her, his face inches from her breasts.

"Get off me, you idiot!" she screamed and pushed him off her. He laughed and sat cross-legged. Nami rubbed her head and brushed her long, orange hair away from her face. She did not look happy.

"What are you doing out here, you idiot? Did you get lost?" she snapped, rubbing her bare arms with her hands. She was only dressed in a blue skirt and top and the temperature had dropped tremendously. Not to mention the wind, which was now blowing at high speeds. Luffy's hat continued to fall off his head and Nami's hair was getting in her face. They needed to find shelter, and fast.

"I did get lost. I was just talking to someone and forgot how to get back into town," he replied. Seeing Nami shivering was hurting him, but all he had to offer was his cardigan which barely kept him warm. Although the cold never bothered him anyway.

"How could you forget how to get back into town? Ugh, whatever, we need to get back to the ship. I'm freezing," she rasped, holding her arms.

Luffy began to take off his cardigan.

"What the hell are you doing?" she snapped as she stood up.

"You're cold aren't you?" he said. "Take it, I don't need it."

Nami paused for a second and looked at the half naked Luffy. His lightweight cardigan wouldn't do much help with the cold wind, but she thought it was sweet of him to offer it.

"Luffy…"

Just then, her eye caught sight of a small path leading to a clearance in the forest. Could that be their ticket out?

"Luffy, look!" she said, pointing to the new path in the bundle of trees behind him. She clapped her hands in contempt. Luffy turned around and grinned. The two rushed towards it. However, Luffy's Observation Haki suddenly was going off.

"Nami, wait!" he cried, but it was too late. Out from the ground, sprung metal bars that shot straight up and encased them. The metal bars fell together above them, creating a makeshift open roof. The sinking realization informed them that they were now in a cage. A sharp click sounded after the bars had all closed together.

"W-What?!" she screamed as she took hold of the bars. Luffy did the same until he found his strength slipping away.

"Uhhhh," he groaned as he sank to the ground below. Nami looked at Luffy, then the bars, and gasped.

"This is…Seastone! Unbelievable! What the hell is going on?!"

Luffy picked himself up and with all of his might, punched the bars. They rattled and clanged, but didn't budge an inch. Nami shook the bars but they didn't move. They were firmly in place and the two of them had nowhere to go. Locked up, far away in a deep forest with the cold wind teasing them. Nami slowly slid to the ground and cursed under her breath. Luffy moved closer to her and noticed that she was shivering badly. He still had his cardigan, which was now on the ground. Picking it up, he gently placed it on Nami's shoulders. She looked at him, startled.

"I know it's not much…but I don't want you freezing," he said and crossed his legs and his arms.

Nami looked at him. The moonlight cast its light and showed his stern expression, along with a solemn frown. He always hated seeing one of his crewmates suffer. He had already seen her in pain from the past, and promised then on to protect her as long as he was with her.

"Th-Thank you…" she whispered, pulling the cardigan around her arms. She looked through the bars and at the trees ahead. "I just don't get it. Why the hell did a cage randomly sprout from the ground? And why is it made of Seastone?"

Luffy shrugged his shoulders and laid down. He looked at the moon from behind the bars and put his hands behind his head.

"I dunno," he replied. "But this sucks. I hope someone finds us."

Nami let out a long sigh and turned to face him, leaning her back against the bars. It felt very uncomfortable.

"Luffy?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"What are we going to do?"

"Hmm. We could try screaming. That might work."

"No one's gonna hear us from up here. We're smack in the middle of nowhere and the wind is howling."

"I tried punching the bars. It's impossible."

"Yeah…"

"I could try digging through the dirt below us."

"We don't know how long the bars go underground."

"True."

"Who would make this kind of trap? Seriously, someone has too much time on their hands!"

"It's kind of cool…"

"This is no time to be fascinated, idiot! Agh! I'm still cold. And these bars are so uncomfortable."

"Lay on the ground like me."

"No way! The ground's all bumpy and hard!"

"Feels fine to me…"

"Good for you."

"Hey, Nami?"

"What, Luffy?"

"Are you still mad at me?"

"What are you…"

Her eyes widened. She remembered that she wasn't supposed to talk to him until he apologized for spying on her when she showered. She turned away from him with a muttered, 'Hmph!'

Luffy pushed himself off the ground and stared at her. The moonlight hit her face almost perfectly, allowing him to see how smooth and radiant her skin was. He could see the details of her rosy lips and eyelashes. Everything about her was just perfect. His heart picked up speed.

"Nami…"

She didn't answer. She continued to look away at the trees. Her gaze was fixed far off in the distance.

"Nami…I…I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," he whispered, pulling his legs in towards his scarred chest. He rested his head on his kneecaps. Nami slowly looked over at him. She frowned. It never felt good to see him so sad. It always felt…wrong.

"Luffy," she sighed, turning to face him. He slowly met her eyes. They were even darker than usual.

"Luffy, just tell me why you were in the shower room in the first place. Be honest. Was it to spy on me? Did you really want to see me naked?"

Luffy's brows furrowed and he felt a rage build inside of him. "No way! I seriously didn't go in there to see you like that! I swear! I was only up there because I heard you singing, and I wanted to listen to you sing! Sanji was up there spying on you, but I was there to hear you sing! I know it was wrong of me anyway…but I didn't go in there to see you like that!"

He stopped short, huffing madly. Nami blinked to herself and felt her eyes close slightly.

"I see," she whispered. "I'm sorry that I made that assumption."

She looked at him again. His head was resting in his lap. She could feel her face soften a bit. This was Luffy. Despite being a complete idiot and utter moron, he was always honest. Luffy never lied (except occasionally around food) and was always true around her. She realized that he would never do something like that, and she was only being a little paranoid. Maybe it was her turn to understand.

"Luffy," she said, causing him to look at her. She studied his eyes carefully. "I'm not mad at you anymore. I promise. I'm sorry for being such a grouch."

Luffy nodded. "I'm sorry for going up there. You were showering and I had no right to go in there. I know how much you love to shower."

Nami giggled and pulled his cardigan close around her shoulders. The wind was attacking her skin and she could barely last any longer. She needed more warmth. She watched as Luffy went back to lying on the ground.

"So Luffy," she began.

"Hm?" he replied.

"You...you really like my singing?"

Luffy looked at her and smiled. "Yeah. You have an amazing voice. You're better than me, that's for sure."

Nami blushed and looked downwards. Luffy actually thought her singing voice was amazing. She never once thought that her singing was even remotely good. Was he just being nice or did he actually think she really was a good singer?

"Thank you, Luffy," she whispered. "That means a lot."

Luffy turned his head towards her and grinned. "It's true!"

Nami smiled. The two remained quiet for another passing moment until Nami thought of something else.

"Luffy?"

"Yup?"

"What exactly were you doing up here again?"

His focus was at the moon above. "I was meeting someone. We were planning for this dance competition."

"Oh, I see," she responded. "That sounds…wait, huh?"

Nami scooted closer to Luffy so she could see his eyes. He turned and looked at her.

"What do you mean, dance competition?"

Luffy grinned at her. "Exactly that. I'm entering a dance competition."

Nami raised a brow. "What for? You like dancing?"

"Yup!"

"There's something else, isn't there?"

Luffy chuckled nervously. "Well…yeah. I'm trying to win a million berries."

"Oh, that sounds cool…wait, what?!"

Nami quickly grabbed Luffy by his shoulders and shook him. He began to groan.

"N-Nami, what?"

"A million berries is the prize?! What is this dance competition?!"

Luffy steadied himself. "It's called the Dance Prance Revolution. It's in two days. Lucille and I are trying to win the prize money to get you…"

He stopped his voice just in time. He almost gave it away.

"Huh?" she asked. She was unable to hear the last part due to the wind. She pulled the cardigan even closer to her chest.

"N-Nothing," he stammered. That was close.

"Who's Lucille?" she asked warily.

Luffy grinned at her. "Lucille's my dance partner. It's a competition for couples."

"Oh," Nami squeaked. She didn't want to seem jealous so she changed the subject.

"Well, where can I sign up?" she asked.

Luffy pouted. "Oh. Sorry Nami, but it's closed. There are only twenty spots. I think Robin was the last one to sign up."

"Robin?!" she shouted. Robin was in the competition too? Say what?!

"Yeah," laughed Luffy. "She's gonna help me win!"

Nami was totally confused. Luffy and Robin were both entering a dance competition. Who's next, Zoro?!

"That's great for you guys. Have fun," Nami mumbled as she adjusted her back against the cage.

Luffy tilted his head at Nami and watched her try to fall asleep. She just couldn't seem to get comfortable.

"Nami?" Luffy whispered.

"What?"

"Did you…did you see Naku today?"

"Yeah, why? I met his crew too. They're all very nice people."

"Oh."

Luffy lifted his hat and placed it on top of his face. Nami noticed this from the corner of her eye.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing."

Nami knew something had changed his mood.

"Luffy?" she said.

"Hm?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. Goodnight, Nami."

Luffy pretended to snore and sound asleep but she knew better. Getting up, she crawled towards him and lifted his hat off his face.

"Hey, what're you doing, Nami?"

"Tell me what's wrong, Luffy."

"Nothing is, really."

"I know there is something bothering you."

"Nope."

Luffy avoided her gaze while he spoke to her. She pulled his chin towards her so that she had his attention. He still was looking away though.

"Luffy," she sighed.

"Hm?"

"You promise me nothing is wrong?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"Really?"

"I guess."

"The words, 'I guess' don't really sell it, Luffy."

"I'm really fine, Nami."

He closed his eyes shut and hummed to himself. Defeated, Nami groaned and thumped next to him on the ground. Immediately she shrieked out in pain. Luffy jumped up.

"N-Nami?!"

"Ouch, ouch!" she moaned as she rubbed her back. "I told you the ground's all hard and rocky!"

Luffy moved closer to her and began to rub her back, not even thinking about the consequences of touching her.

"Does that feel better?"

Amazingly, Nami didn't snap at him or hit him across the face for touching her. His gentle hand was actually doing the trick, and it was incredibly soothing.

"Mmmm," she purred. "Yeah, that feels good."

Luffy grinned. "Good!"

He continued massaging her back. Every motion was soft and tender. Like she said before, for someone who could pummel down the mightiest foes, Luffy had the softest touch. Despite being such a monster, Luffy was deep down, a real caring and loving individual. He wasn't rubbing her back because he was perverted…he was doing so in order to make her feel better.

After a few minutes in silence, Nami softly took Luffy's hand in hers.

"Thank you," she whispered as she smiled at him. He returned her smile.

"Of course!"

Before he could go back to lying on the ground, Nami took his other hand and pulled his arms around her waist. Luffy's mouth opened, but he didn't object to her hold. In fact, he was enjoying it. She moved in close so that her back leaned against his chest and snuggly adjusted his arms to fit her slim figure. With his arms around her, she rested her own on top of his and pulled him in as close as she could. Comfy, she exhaled aloud and looked up at Luffy. He was simply staring at her with an open mouth, unsure of what to say. Her eyes were a glowing brown while his were pitch black. She smiled softly at him.

"Is this…is this okay?"

A faint smile emerged from his lips. "Yeah…you're actually really comfy, Nami."

She giggled and gently caressed his arms as she felt his smooth skin. She no longer wished it would get warmer. She had found a new kind of warmth…and liked it.

"Thank you, Luffy," she whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder. Luffy gently pulled her waist closer to his chest and eased his cheek on her head. Her orange hair was soft and pleasant. It smelled just as he imagined it, like tangerines.

"No problem, Nami," he whispered back. His eyes began to flutter as he felt himself falling asleep. Nami continued to adjust her body against his, and caressed his arms with her gentle fingers. How he wished this moment could last forever.

The two, now arm in arm, slowly found themselves drifting fast asleep. Though the winds were harsh and full of hate, they could not penetrate the warmth and love of the two crewmates. Both smiling, they no longer were thinking about tomorrow. Because everything seemed just right.

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**Seriously though, what's up with the cage? Ahh! A little twist to add to our chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Thank you all for the support! Go romance! **


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